Monday, April 3, 2023, was a cold and windy morning in the city of Sunnyvale, where city staff, local political leaders, and the press assembled in the shadow of Sunnyvale’s new City Hall to cut the ribbon on what is likely the nation’s first building to be both be certified LEED Platinum and achieve Net Zero Emissions. “This moment has been 8 years in the making, beginning in 2015. Listening to our community is what got us here today,” explained City Manager Kent Steffens. Mayor Larry Klein explained that construction broke ground in December 2020, taking just over two years, amid the Pandemi ..read more

On February 7, Sunnyvale City Council moved to convert Murphy Street into a Pedestrian Mall and to extend the temporary lane closure on Tasman Drive until December 2024. The council also clarified the zoning rules to conditionally permit auto sales along El Camino Real. For African American History Month, Santa Clara County’s Poet Laureate, Tshaka Campbell, recited a poem, “Ally in Ten Octaves.” The final line resonated with your faithful reporter, given the task at hand: “10. We will hum the journey’s chorus to you on the way up, but you, my friend, must write in the words yourself.” For Publ ..read more

Sunnyvale’s City Council met for nearly six hours on January 24 to hear public input on the city’s study issues, adjust the Housing Mitigation Fee, approve neighborhood grants, and sign off on the city’s Legislative Advocacy Positions. Corporation Yard Master Plan Before the Regular Meeting, Public Works presented a Study Session for a master plan to renovate the Corporation Yard (“Corp Yard”) on Commercial St. Several city departments use the yard for vehicle fleet maintenance and storage. Most buildings at the 8.72-acre site were built in the 1950s. The structures are sound, but the old buil ..read more

Vice Mayor In Sunnyvale, Vice Mayors serve one-year terms, elected by their peers on the City Council. Tuesday’s January 10 City Council meeting opened with outgoing Vice Mayor, Councilmember Alyssa Cisneros, praising the incoming Vice Mayor, Councilmember Omar Din. “I’ve known Omar for a very long time. He’s a fantastic public servant, very humble, extremely smart, and extremely dedicated. He’s ready for this challenge.” Mayor Klein thanked Cisneros for her service. Councilmember Cisneros recounted that, not long ago, when she was at Homestead High School, she had no idea who the Vice Mayor w ..read more

On January 3, in its first meeting of 2023, the Sunnyvale City Council met in a packed Council Chambers to honor the service of three outgoing Council Members and seat three incoming Council Members. Our new city council, the first to be entirely comprised of District Representatives with a mayor elected at large, is also the most diverse. Councilmembers Gustav Larsson, Glenn Hendricks, and Anthony (Tony) Spitaleri stepped down from the dais. Several local civic leaders took terms expressing their gratitude towards these Councilmembers for their service, including Hendrick’s service on the VTA ..read more

Sunnyvale’s Public Safety Chief Phan Ngo was interviewed by Kai Ryssdal, on Marketplace, broadcast on public radio stations across the country. With national attention to the “defund the police” movement, Sunnyvale stands out as a place where we do things differently: our Department of Public Safety staff serve as Police, Fire, and EMS first-responders. Ngo explains: I went to a call of a house fire. And obviously, my fire personnel were out there, but in addition to that, there were patrol officers driving marked patrol vehicles that had changed into fire turnouts, and they were helping to p ..read more

City of Sunnyvale boards and commissions advise the City Council and provide ongoing citizen input into policies and issues affecting the Sunnyvale community. Boards and commissions advise the Council on specific policy issues the Council has chosen to study and provide a forum and opportunity for broad community input on those issues. Board and commission members serve on a volunteer basis for a four-year term and are appointed by the City Council. General eligibility requirements include voter registration and Sunnyvale residency. Special requirements vary. Recruitment is underway for the fo ..read more

Homeowners, renters and construction professionals can learn how to reduce the Carbon footprint of their homes and buildings by transitioning their energy use away from natural gas to clean electrical power. Hear from industry experts on ways to make your home cleaner, greener and safer Learn about rebates that help you save money Meet with manufacturer representatives and learn about technologies that can add value and comfort Chat with residents and experts about the benefits of shifting to electricity Two events are being held this month: Thursday, October 10 2:00 – 7:00 PMMitchell Park C ..read more

Caltrain will host a community meeting to discuss the continued construction activities for the Caltrain Electrification project in Sunnyvale. In the coming months, crews will continue foundation installation and begin the installation of poles along the rail corridor in Sunnyvale. In addition, work continues on the Paralleling Station facility near the Sunnyvale Caltrain Station. The meeting will provide an opportunity for residents to learn more about the project, including the scope and schedule of upcoming construction activities. Thursday, October 10, 2019 6:00 – 7:00 PM Washington Park 8 ..read more

Residents interested in adding an ADU or “Granny Flat” to their existing Single Family Homes are invited to join Housing Trust Silicon Valley’s upcoming ADU Resource Fair. An ADU is an Accessory Dwelling Unit added to a plot with a single-family home. Regulations for ADUs have been liberalized in recent years, to address the statewide housing shortage, and more reforms are in process. Housing Trust Silicon Valley’ s Small Homes, Big Impact program invites homeowners for this opportunity to discuss your ADU project with builders, design professionals, consultants, lenders, insurance agents and ..read more