CC 04-30-19 Oral CommunicationsJean Bedord Page 1
April 30, 2019 Cupertino City Council meeting:
Good evening, Mayor Scharf and Councilmembers:
My name is Jean Bedord and I live in Cupertino. I am here to urge you to examine the behavior
of Planning Commission Chair, R “Ray” Wang, and to take appropriate disciplinary action, up to
and including his removal from the Planning Commission.
I attended the Commission’s meeting on April 23, expecting a professionally run session with
knowledgeable discussion. I was floored when Chairman Wang made a motion that could have
led to enormous legal liability for the city, including general damages and, among other things,
penalties from $24 million to $120 million for violating the Housing Accountability Act in
connection to the Vallco SB35 project. Chairman Ray Wang described these sums as a “small
price to pay”.
As a resident and a taxpayer, I can’t say that $24 million—let alone $120—is any kind of “small
price to pay.” I can’t imagine any reasonable steward of Cupertino’s public trust disagreeing.
$24 million would build a library expansion, bike trails and park improvements…all of which
would benefit the residents. I don’t want Ray Wang spending taxpayer money‐‐my money, OUR
money—on housing penalties.
Bad publicity already besets this city. We have acquired, fairly or unfairly, an image as the anti‐
housing city. Already, Chairman Wang’s comments are drawing negative attention to Cupertino
in the press and on social media; namely, that Cupertino would rather incur massive fines than
build much‐needed housing. His comments inquiring into whether SB 35 applied to a non‐
housing site, his apparent confusion about subdivision maps, coupled with Vice‐Chair Vikram
Saxena’s query about what a subdivision even is, do not instill public confidence that the
members you most recently appointed to the commission are competent.
As managers, all of us have made hiring mistakes. I urge council to accept ownership of this
mistake and to take immediate remedial action.
I am attaching a copy of the transcript of the incident from the planning commission meeting,
and request that it be placed in the public record for this meeting.
“Planning Commission Chair calls on city to rescind SB 35 approval of Vallco”
https://cupertinotoday.com/2019/04/25/planning‐commission‐chair‐calls‐on‐city‐to‐rescind‐sb‐35‐
approval‐of‐vallco/
Jean Bedord Page 2