Danessa's Speech on traffic, air qualify, water shortage

Speech by Danessa Techmanski 

Feb. 2, 2016 City Council Meeting

If you take The Hills, the Oaks, Main Street, Apple, and the Rose Bowl and lump them all together it will add at least 32,000 people to our city every day, not even including the added retail customers. In this area 68% of people drive to work alone which means those developments will bring an additional 21, 700 cars every work day, effectively doubling the number of workers on the road. Due to the locations of those developments they will clog 280, 85, Wolfe, DeAnza, Steven’s Creek, Homestead and Foothill. You will not be able to get into, out of, or through Cupertino. So having all of the extra office space in the world will be useless because no company will want to locate here if their employees can’t get to work.

Secondly, all of that traffic will cause our air quality to plummet. Just  one average vehicle idling in traffic for an hour a day will be dumping 1,239 lbs. of Carbon monoxide into our air each year (3.4 lbs. daily) causing our air quality to worsen anywhere from 30-50% depending on weather factors.

With the additional 32,000 people added to our city we will need to provide a minimum of an extra 2,552,400 of gallons of water per day that we just don’t have., and that’s not even including the extra water for restaurants or hotels.

You also need to calculate in the added water for Vallco’s 30 acre green roof. Sand Hill is trying to wow us with orchards, vineyards, olive trees, and vast expanses of grasses which will require soil depths of soils of 4 ft or greater render the project as an intensive type of green roof. You must also consider that we live in a drought area where storm recapture isn’t going to be huge. 

In summary,  you just can’t pull water clean air, and roads out of a hat. We have to live here, and we elected you to be OUR representatives, NOT the facilitators of greedy developers and investors from overseas. 

Cathy's Speech - signature collecting for the Cupertino Citizens’ Sensible Growth Initiative

Oral Communication on Feb. 2 Council Meeting
Speaker: Cathy Wang

Tittle/Topic: Voices heard from signature collecting for the Cupertino Citizens’ Sensible Growth Initiative


Good evening Mayor Chang, City Council Members, and Staff Members.

My name is Cathy wang.  I left China 24 years ago and lived in Cupertino for the  past 13yrs.  Many cities in China I visit today are overdeveloped, highly congested  and extremely polluted.  High real estate value means nothing when quality of life is non-existent.  The saddest thing is the course is irreversible.  We shouldn’t let it happen to Cupertino, a place I considered home.  


That’s why I have assisted with signature gathering recently.  I’d like to share one story here.   One day I approached to the front door of an old house on Bollinger, I saw a sign:  No solicitors!, as well as "THAT MEANS YOU!" underneath it. Nevertheless I knocked.  An old frail gentleman opened the door, I apologized that I was not soliciting right away.  The minute I mentioned THE HILLS he took my pen with his left hand.  With obvious difficulty in moving his right side and speaking (a sign of an earlier stroke), he slowly moved to the bench at the front porch, carefully put his name down, while slowly telling me he used to walk to the Oaks when the bookstore was still there...he said he sure will vote once we put the initiative in the ballot.  I tried to keep the conversation going or I would cry on the spot, witnessing the helplessness, frustration and anger in his eyes.

At that moment I believe I’m not doing this for myself, more so for these long term residents who are extremely upset at the current unchecked overdevelopment of the city, but couldn't have their voices heard – many lived here for 40, 50, even 60yrs, but they couldn’t walk or drive to city hall any more.  It’s our turn to take the baton to help our community stay our community, while we can still walk, talk and fight.  Mr. Mayor and council members, I hope you hear the VOICE.

Thank you!

Cathy

Brooke's Speech - State of the Initiative Update

Speech by Brooke Ezzat

Feb. 2, 2015 Cupertino City Council Meeting

Approximately a week ago, Mayor Chang gave his state of the city address; we would like to give a state of the Cupertino Citizens' Sensible Growth Initiative update.  In a period of 5 weeks, despite inclement weather, holidays and post-holiday lulls, being thrown out of city facilities where we have the right to gather signatures, and being followed by goons, we gathered over 4 thousand signatures.  In a city that is relatively apolitical, this is indicative of the level of outrage citizens feels at the council’s and developers attempt to turn Cupertino into an urban planning nightmare.

Despite the promises the council made to residents regarding the GPA, it was passed anyway, necessitating the need for this Initiative.  There are developments that will come up for review prior to the Initative being placed on the ballot.  We demand a moratorium on project approvals, including, but not limited to the Oaks, Goodyear Tire, Vallco and Mariana Foods until the Initiative is decided. We have demonstrated that we have the political will to act and we will have no problem joining with our associates to act again.

Qin - Please listen to our voice again, by Qin Pan

From: Qin Yahoo
Date: February 2, 2016 at 4:11:17 PM PST
To: CityCouncil@cupertino.org
Subject: Please listen to our voice again

Dear Mayor,

Fall of 2014, You were welcomed at our block party and You promised us you will listen to our concerns and represent us.I indeed expressed my concern about crowed Cupertino high where my second daughter currently attend, compare with when my oldest daughter attend there 4 years ago, the crowed traffic at the wolf exist.  I voted for you at 2014.

The school still so crowed after 2014, the traffic is even worse, its a challenge to be home at a reasonable time without sitting in the traffic . 

Last month, I'm volunteer to knock door to door to collect signatures , in the hope that the initiative can be out on the ballet. 

Since I'm a statistician , I like to share with you some data: I personally would be able to collect 75 signatures . Among the 84 registered voters I approached , 6 of them like vallco current plan ,  3 of them haven't decided, all the rest signed .  So it's 89% of the registered  voters support this initiative. If include those I approached and already signed at library or by with other volunteers, this percentage will even higher 

One lady told me she went to library want to sign the initiative, but she cannot, as she cannot find a parking! She was so happy that I knocked her door so she can have an opportunity to sign.

Thank you for listening to our voice again.

Qin Pan

Joan - First Do No Harm

Sent to the City before Feb. 2, 2016 Council Meeting

Dear City Council Members,                                                                                        

First Do No Harm! 

Developers are proposing large and irregular constructions to you, because the market is favorable for them to profit enormously. The constructions are irregular because they would require many exceptions to the General Plan, which you have been elected to follow.

In considering any of these development proposals, I ask that you take the other view. Instead of seeing these developers as long-awaited suitors, excited that any property owner would want to build something in our city, take the stand that you have something great to offer to developers, that you have to be persuaded that their plans have much to offer the city, which exists as a body of residents, businesses and workers. Yes, we need to build our revenues, but only in a way that benefits the community as a whole. We are the city. 

Yes, the city exists because of its residents, businesses and workers. We the people. The city is nothing without us. You have been elected to represent us, not to go overboard with excitement on every grandiose idea coming our way.

First do no harm. There are some diseases and physical disabilities in our wonderful city. 

• Traffic on our highways that is so dense that drivers are choosing to use our city streets and just pass through Cupertino, making it difficult for us all to get where we need to go within the city. 
• Schools that don't favor the individual student. The crowded conditions and limited resources only allow a percentage of the students to benefit from the great schools. There is also a significant percentage of students that are hurt by our schools and fall between the cracks.
• Infrastructure was only built for the city we have been, not for mass developments with urban density. It was never planned for Cupertino to become a mega-suburban center.  We don't have the land to support great growth. We do have the people to support a great mall in our part of west Santa Clara County.
• Environmental concerns must always be in the forefront of our decisions. Water usage, air safety, protecting our Bay, real green development (not that ridiculous green slanted roof).
• Growth that is already approved but not yet up-and-running. This is a situation we need to allow to happen and play out, before we approve more significant developments.

These are the situations that must be your chief concern as we receive proposals that will only make all these problems and concerns worse. 

First do no harm. The key to that may be to put a moratorium on new oversized developments for, say, three years. 

Then, push back on the development proposals to bring them in line with our city's General Plan and the spirit and soul of the city. Remember that the Cupertino is not just whatever you want to envision, Cupertino is first and foremost the people, businesses and workers that make this our home.

Thank you for reading my views.

Joan Chin

Resident of 33 years, HP employee of 23 years, Block Leader

Open Letter - We Will Not Be Silent

Open Letter to the Council: We Will Not Be Silent.

Speech at January 19, 2016 Cupertino City Council Meeting

For over a year, the citizens of Cupertino have voiced their concerns about the amount of development in the community and the government’s apparent desire to restrict our involvement in the process. We exercised every viable and conceivable avenue to get you to listen to our concerns. We have spoken before you, and spoken individually to you.  We have rallied, we have written, to no avail.  The council has been tone deaf; we hope you hear us now.

The council must represent us, but has used every conceivable avenue to silence us. And our access to the process has been limited by the following:

• December 2014 – Stating that a vote on the General Plan Amendment would be postponed, only to approve a wholesale rewrite of the General Plan.

• Packing the agenda so that items are not scrutinized properly making the public input process less effective. This takes two forms

• Compressing several complex issues into one agenda item thus giving public insufficient time to study and respond or comment on the issues separately.

• Placing so many items on the agenda that individual item cannot be examined adequately.

• Spring 2015 - Promising a workshop for residents on Community Benefits that was never held while quietly holding a series of them with developers.

• May 2015 - Bowing to public pressure to limit building heights, only to circumvent the limits by offering 2 open-seasons for General Plan Amendment requests encouraging developers to request them.

We have been polite, patient and bided our time. We hoped that you would listen to reason, and you have not. Instead you brushed aside our reasoning and concerns as fringe and lectured us on our behavior as if voicing our concerns was a violation of the law.  We are concerned that our municipal government does not have the will or ability to act in the best interest of the city and so we have been forced to act.

It is never an abuse of the system to exercise one’s constitutional rights.  It is in fact, honoring those rights.

This initiative is not solely about building heights, density, millions of square feet of office space, or adding more students to our already over- crowded schools; it is also about democracy.  It is about whether the citizens of this city have the right to a voice in the future of their city or if they are to be regulated to the role of mute bystanders while the right to our future is delegated to outside interests by the council.

You have decided that we should suffer and be silent, and WE have decided that WE WILL NOT.

Liang-Fang Chao, Peggy Griffin and Govind Tatachari

Members of the Committee Supporting Cupertino Citizens’ Sensible Growth Initiative

Liang - Civic Center should allow open bids

From: Liang C

Date: Wed, Nov 18, 2015 at 12:41 AM
Subject: Five Internationally-Renowned Teams Compete for the $51 Million Project in San Francisco
To: City Council <citycouncil@cupertino.org>, "City of Cupertino Planning Dept." <planning@cupertino.org>, David Brandt davidb@cupertino.org

 

Dear Mayor Sinks, Vice Mayor Chang and Councilmembers,

Please put Civic Center project out for open bids. Perkins+Will should not be allowed to participate in bidding to avoid any implication that they might have somehow influenced the Council to choose the most expensive option for their own benefits.

Five Internationally-Renowned Teams Compete for a $51 Million Project in San Francisco.

Check out the beautiful designs submitted to Presidio Parklands project in San Francisco. The project first have RFQ for the "imagine" phase to solicit concept design with $25,000 stipend for 5 firms. Then, they will have another RFG for the "implementation" phase to select one firm among many.

The New Presidio Parklands Project in San Franciscocreates a singular opportunity to establish a magnificent 13-acre landscape that integrates the waterfront with the Presidio’s historic core. Once completed, visitors will enjoy an unparalleled experience of the Golden Gate.
The estimated total cost of the New Presidio Parklands Project is $51 million.

After responding to an Request for Qualifications (RFQ) in early 2014, five internationally-renowned teams were invited to participate the “imagine” phase of the project. The teams included:

1. CMG Landscape Architecture, San Francisco
2. James Corner Field Operations, New York
3. OLIN, Philadelphia/Los Angeles
4. SNØHETTA, Oslo/New York /San Francisco
5. West 8 Team, Rotterdam/Brussels/New York

Each of the teams is awarded a $25,000 stipend to develop its proposal over two months, and present its designs to the public in the fall of 2014. The teams developed creative concepts that have served to spark a robust public dialogue about the future of site.

Here is the RFQ of the "imagine" phase.

Here is the FAQ of the RFQ of the "imagine" phase.

Note that there will be another RFQ for the implementation phase, where one or more teams who participated in the "imagine" phase will be invited to join. And it states:
"The Presidio Trust reserves the right to expand distribution of the RFP to a broader list  of design teams should additional input be deemed necessary."

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REFERENCE:

Presidio Trust Selects Five Internationally Acclaimed Firms and Invites Public to Create Vision for New Presidio Parkland Create Vision for New Presidio Parkland

Five Proposals Unveiled for Presidio Parklands in San Francisco, Sep. 9, 2014, Arch Daily

Presidio, Take 2 - finalists reveal plans for Parklands project, Sep. 2014, The Architects Newspaper