CC 09-17-2024 Item No. 9 Future Agenda Items_Written CommunicationsCC 09-17-2024
Item No. 9
Future agenda
items requested
by City
Councilmembers
Written Communications
From:Liang Chao
To:Sheila Mohan; City Clerk
Cc:Pamela Wu
Subject:Re: Request for the supplemental report to accurately identify the question author
Date:Friday, September 13, 2024 10:37:25 PM
In that case, I'll make a formal agenda request for the Council to consider giving direction to
allow council members to forward questions from residents without having to rephrase every
question by the Councilmember.
We serve the residents. There should an efficient way for the council to forward questions
from residents and get answers before council meetings.
My request is simply for the supplement report to accurately reflect it as either "(Chao)" or "
(forwarded by Chao)".
That's all.
Dear City Clerk,
Please enter this entire thread into written communication of the 9/17 council meeting.
And please add this item to one of items on the TBD list.
I think I'll just ask for a second at the council meeting.
In you think I need to request a second before the council meeting, let me know.
Liang
Liang Chao
Councilmember
City Council
LChao@cupertino.gov
408-777-3192
From: Sheila Mohan <SMohan@cupertino.gov>
Sent: Friday, September 13, 2024 8:26 PM
To: Liang Chao <LChao@cupertino.gov>
Subject: Re: Request for the supplemental report to accurately identify the question author
Liang:
After thinking about your question, my opinion is that staff is responsible for responding to
questions from Council on a supplemental report which is often prepared just a few hours
before the Council meeting. When residents have questions, their questions and comments
are already included in the agenda packet. When Councilmembers forward residents'
questions to staff under their name, it could create a workload impact on staff because staff
does feel a certain urgency to respond to Council especially before a Council meeting, and
these questions from what you tell me are coming from residents.
I think it would be simpler if you email your own questions directly to staff.
Sheila Mohan
Mayor
City Council
SMohan@cupertino.gov
(408)777-1326
From: Liang Chao <LChao@cupertino.gov>
Sent: Thursday, September 12, 2024 11:05 PM
To: Sheila Mohan <SMohan@cupertino.gov>
Subject: Request for the supplemental report to accurately identify the question author
Dear Mayor Sheila,
I have made a request at the 9/4 council meeting for the supplemental report to accurately
specify the origin of the question.
When the residents send questions to the council on an agenda item, I sometimes just forward
the questions to the staff, since do not always have time to rephrase each question myself.
Thus, my request is simply for the supplement report to accurately reflect it as either "(Chao)"
or "(forwarded by Chao)".
The reason is that I felt very uncomfortable reading the supplemental report to see my name
attributed to sentences that do not come from me. The tone of voices from the residents is
different from me definitely.
The city manager refused to fulfill this simple request at the 9/17 council meeting and left it to
the Mayor to decide.
If you refuse to grant this simply request, please let me know as soon as possible.
In that case, I'll propose this as a TBD item as a policy matter to get direction from the entire
council.
Thank you for your attention.
Liang
Liang Chao
Councilmember
City Council
LChao@cupertino.gov
408-777-3192
From:Liang Chao
To:Pamela Wu; Kitty Moore
Cc:City Clerk
Subject:Addition to TBD future agenda item: revise policy on handling of petitions
Date:Thursday, September 12, 2024 10:30:58 PM
The Linda Vista petition signed by 600 people was handed to the City Manager by the Mayor.
The signed petition will just be filed by CDD under the project.
The city won’t route it to any other Councilmembers or departments, even though the petition
states “We respectfully ask the City Planning Department, Department of Emergency
Preparedness, the Santa Clara Fire Department and Mayor Sheila Mohan and other
councilmembers,"
That’s the final decision of the city attorney on the matter.
To date, as a city councilmember, I have only heard of the petition from the public comment,
but I have not seen or received the petition at all.
Therefore, I have no other choice but to request a clear direction from the Council on the
handling of any petition, either in digital or paper format.
I propose that
any paper petition should be scanned into digital format and then forwarded to the
recipients specified on the petition through email attachments.
If the city is not able to forward the petition, for any reason, to any one of the specified
recipients, the city will notify the proponent of the petition with 5 days so that the
proponents can forward the petition themselves.
The petition will be entered into the public record, following applicable state law.
The proponent may request a digital copy of the paper petition, if the original petition is
submitted to the city.
The Council may give direction to the city manager to comply with the proposal with
administrative regulations, rather than adopting a formal council policy.
Please include this in the written communication of the 9/17 council meeting.
Liang
Liang Chao
Councilmember
City Council
LChao@cupertino.gov
408-777-3192
From:Liang Chao
To:Pamela Wu
Cc:City Clerk
Subject:Fwd: Proposal to Amend Park Sound Amplification Policy
Date:Thursday, September 12, 2024 10:03:41 PM
Please add this to the TBA list for discussion as a future agenda item.
Please include this in the written communication of the 9/17 Council meeting.
Thanks.
Liang
Liang Chao
Councilmember
City Council
LChao@cupertino.gov
408-777-3192
From: yuwen su <yuwen_su@yahoo.com>
Sent: Thursday, September 12, 2024 9:55 PM
To: Sheila Mohan <smohan@cupertino.gov>; J.R. Fruen <jrfruen@cupertino.gov>; Hung Wei
<hwei@cupertino.gov>; Liang Chao <lchao@cupertino.gov>; Kitty Moore
<kmoore@cupertino.gov>; Cupertino City Manager's Office <CityManager@cupertino.org>
Subject: Proposal to Amend Park Sound Amplification Policy
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 Mohan, Council Members, Manager Wu:
I am writing to propose an update of the current city policy that bans sound
amplification in our parks. The existing rule is quite restrictive and prevents many of
us from enjoying recreational activities that benefit from moderate sound levels, such
as dance practice and group exercises.
I suggest the following amendments to the policy:
1. Permit sound amplification if it is not audible more than 50 feet away from the
source.
2. Ensure that sound amplification does not reach nearby residential areas or park
events.
I would like to point out that the City of Oakland has a similar policy that permits
sound amplification under specific conditions, which has successfully balanced
recreational use with community peace. Adopting a similar approach could improve
our park experience while still respecting our neighbors.
Thank you for considering this proposal. I am available for further discussion and
would appreciate the opportunity to provide additional input if needed.
Sincerely,
Yuwen Su
7720 Orogrande Place,
Cupertino
408-390-4133
From:Santosh Rao
To:City Council; Pamela Wu
Cc:City Clerk
Subject:Please pull agenda item 9 from consent calendar.
Date:Thursday, September 12, 2024 7:17:58 AM
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Dear City Clerk,
Please include the below in written communications.
Dear Mayor Mohan, Cupertino City Council members, Manager Wu,
I respectfully request that you remove Item 9 from the Consent Calendar.
The disposition of requested future agenda items should not be placed on
the Consent Calendar, as this assumes staff recommendations are accepted
without discussion or input from the public or the council.
This is a clear misuse of the Consent Calendar process, as it undermines the
input of Cupertino residents and two of the five council members who
represent them. Such actions reflect an overly dismissive attitude toward
agenda requests made by these council members, who represent a
significant portion of our city’s population. Furthermore, allowing the
majority of the council to unilaterally remove future agenda items
highlights a serious flaw in the recent changes to the council procedures
manual. This practice effectively suppresses the voice of the council
minority and, by extension, the 40% of Cupertino residents they represent.
I urge you to revisit the council procedures to make it easier to request
agenda items and more difficult to remove them without proper
deliberation.
Regarding the disposition of items in Attachment A, I strongly recommend
that agenda items of significant importance to residents not be placed for
consideration in October, as the current council’s term is coming to an end.
The residents of Cupertino should be given the opportunity to express their
choice in the upcoming November election, and the new council, seated for
the 2025-2026 term, should have the responsibility of handling these future
agenda items.
Specifically, I request that you refrain from removing requested agenda
items related to community updates on general plan amendments or major
construction projects (Items 3 and 14). Additionally, any decisions related
to the potential purchase of an office building should be deferred until the
new council is seated, as this represents a significant strategic decision that
deserves careful consideration by the newly elected body.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
San Rao