Council Wrap-up

The Cupertino City Council decided on a wide variety of issues on Tuesday night, from a campaign spending cap, to allowing council members to teleconference, to a new stop sign, among others. Below is a wrap-up of a few of the Council’s actions.

• Renewed a voluntary campaign spending cap in the November 2011 City Council elections. The city can’t force a candidate to stay within this year’s limit of $28,000, but any candidate that does will be indicated on the sample ballot with a black diamond beside his or her name. The cap was first approved in 1997 at $15,000, but over the years that amount has been increased to reflect postage rate increases and the increase in Cupertino’s population.
• Approved a measure–albeit somewhat reluctantly--that will allow Council members to teleconference into Council meetings while out of town. Several local cities already allow this practice. However, some Council members were wary of the idea, since they thought it was important for members to be present for debates and to interact with the public. In order to teleconference, traveling Council members must notify the City Clerk one week in advance, since the Brown Act requires the location be printed on the agenda released to the public. An agenda must also be posted at the Council off-site location, and Council members must be somewhere that the public can access during the meeting.
• Approved this year’s Community Development Block Grants. The federal monies were cut by 16.1 percent this year. The Council’s action will divide more than $475,000 among 14 agencies that help the community, including Live Oak Adult Day Services, Maitri Domestic Abuse Services, West Valley Community Services, and Rebuilding Together. Nearly $200,000 is being allocated to Senior Housing Solutions, which is building a group home for seniors in Cupertino.
• Approved stop signs on Bandley Drive at Mariani Avenue.  The T-intersection is a walking route to Lawson Middle School, and is heavily used by Apple employees walking between buildings in the area. City staff said two recent accidents involving left-turning vehicle conflicts, and two pedestrian accidents in the last five years prompted the recommendation.
• Approved adoption of the 2011 Bicycle Transportation Plan. The plan will allow the City to pursue outside funding opportunities, such as Transportation Development Act money administered through Caltrans.