Sunnyvale Council_Don’t Sell Raynor Activity Center

Letter to the Sunnyvale Council members_Courtesy Tap Merrick

Dear Sunnyvale Council members,

The City’s planned sale of the Raynor Activity Center (RAC) on Tuesday, November 19th, 2013, is wrong and I urge the Council to reconsider.

First, It is my understanding that this property was originally purchased through a bond offering that came before the voters around 1979.  I believe that this bond offering limited the sale and use of proceeds from any sale to a few specific and limited choices, but did not allow for funding a branch library.  Please identify what those choices are as part of the City’s presentation.

Sunnyvale Candidate Jim Griffith accused of identify theft_ Campaign Domain

Oct 8, 2013 – Sunnyvale Resident Michael Goldman addressed the City Council regarding Candidate and Vice-Mayor Jim Griffith’s alleged illegal cybersquatting domain registration falsifying his opponent’s Tap Merrick’s identity in an attempt to mislead and defraud voters. Goldman lists a series of violations including Political Cybersquatting, CA’s Political Cyberfraud Abatement Act PCAA (cause a person to believe that a political website has been posted by a person other than a person who posted the website), CA Business and Professions code, and more.

Oct. 15th Candidate Debate Forum_City of Sunnyvale Council at City Hall

Tuesday, Oct 15 – 7:00pm: City Council Candidate Forum – Sunnyvale Residents – Please attend the forum to be held at City of Sunnyvale Hall, 456 W. Olive Ave or watch online at  webcast.insunnyvale.com sponsored by the Cupertino-Sunnyvale League of Women Voters. 

Long-time Sunnyvale Resident voices hope for a city that pays heed to voices of entire community

An Open Letter to Sunnyvale Mayor Anthony Spitaleri

Dear Mr. Mayor:

Yesterday’s mail brought a letter from you promoting your selection of candidates in the upcoming election.  In it you relate how you and your family first settled in Sunnyvale some 47 years ago, at a time when you “couldn’t have asked for a better place to raise a family than in a city which cares about its citizens…”  You then describe how during your service to the city you have “emphasized the importance of collaboration and partnership between Community, Business, and Government…”  You add: “Sunnyvale must continue… with a collaborative and solution-oriented mind set.”  (The italics are mine.)

Mr. Mayor, I remember those days of long ago… and even not so long ago.  As a 54-year resident, I agree that Sunnyvale was a very special place.  The sun shone on a city of hope and optimism: a center of new technology where anything might be possible; a friendly town where the streets were named for flowers and fruits and birds and there was an active, ongoing campaign to add even more park space and trees; and especially, I agree, a town which cared for its citizens and actually listened to them.

What? No CEQA EIR for Sunnyvale Peery Park needed?_Council Agenda Oct 8

The Sunnyvale Peery Park LinkedIn Building is a massive 560,000 square foot – four building project. Bizjournal reports the city records show the same developer, DiNapoli, is seeking review for the design of another six-story, 233,400-square-foot building with a four-level parking structure at 767 N. Mathilda Ave. 

Developer and unions big money slant _Sunnyvale City Council Election 2013

Open Letter from City of Sunnyvale Council Candidate Steve Hoffman:

Jeni, as you can see from the expensive glossy campaign mailers you are receiving in the mail, Sunnyvale’s Unions and out-of-town Developers are funding the election campaigns of their slate of Pro-Unions and Pro-Developer candidates (Griffith, Glenn, and Gustav – the 3 G’s).  

After elected, these candidates will vote on matters that will benefit their donors, as neither see any conflict of interest with this.  Every election, the same thing happens.  The Unions and Developers fund the candidate that will later support their financial interests – just like in Washington DC. 

Following are just a few examples of how this is costing you, and how low it has brought our City: ( click here for more info)

1. $250,000/yr is the average full compensation for public safety officers in Sunnyvale (according to Sunnyvale’s Finance Director Grace Leung).  This is the highest in the entire Bay Area and $50,000 higher than the second highest city (click here for more info).
2. Developers are regularly getting permits to build building that deviate from City codes and exceed the City’s General Plan for growth.  All this, without regard to neighbors’ concerns:  Forever, residents of the Pine/Beechnut area of the S.N.A.I.L. neighborhood will live under the shadow of the monstrous pair of five-story office buildings approved by Gustav Larsson and Glenn Hendricks as Planning Commissioners, and by Jim Griffith as a Council Member (click here for more info).
3. On 4/30/13 Sunnyvale’s city council effectively granted $1.5 million to the garbage company.  The City had no legal obligation to do so, and it got NOTHING in return. Several Council members took donations from the owner of the garbage company.  On July 1st, you got a garbage rate increase.  Almost 50% of the increase is to pay for this $1.5 million grant according to Sunnyvale’s Finance Director Grace Leung (click here for more info).
4. Priceless City lands are being sold (i.e. Raynor Park Activity Center, Murphy Park), while other lands are proposed to be sold (i.e. Civic Center); Playgrounds are been demolished (i.e. CMS), and the City Council refuses to consider purchasing new parklands when opportunities arise ( click here for more info).
5. Sunnyvale Burglaries have increased at a rate 50% higher than the entire Bay Area rate of increase according to the Mercury News (2011 to 2012).  Sunnyvale’s Police Force is smaller than it was 10 years ago because we cannot afford more police officers.  Today we pay almost twice as much for significantly less officers (14%) than we had 10 years ago, while our population has dramatically increased (18%).
6. Council Member Chris Moylan publicly claims that Tap Merrick, Andy Frazer and myself are “part of Council Member Dave Whittum’s hostile takeover of the city council” !?!?!
7. Sunnyvale Vice Mayor Jim Griffith is accused of identify theft (click here for more info).
8. Candidates Glenn and Gustav see no conflict of interest in taking $3,000 dollars each in campaign donations from Developer John Vidovich who is proposing a 10 story multi building very high density complex on Sunnyvale’s most congested intersection (Fremont/Wolfe/El Camino).  All this without regard to outraged residents, Schools been over capacity, traffic jams, scarce water supply, sewage at capacity, and shortages in police patrol officers (click here for more info).
9. John Vidovich plans to make a similar very high density development on Mary and Fremont.
10. Griffith, Glenn and Gustav’s (the 3 G’s) campaign yard signs are placed on John Vidovich’s commercial property with his personal permission.

Nothing “Civil” about Sunnyvale Vice Mayor Jim Griffith stealing identity of Opponent Tap Merrick

Today  Sunnyvale residents received glossy 9×12 fliers in their mailboxes, from the special interest organization  PSOA, with a caustic San Jose Mercury Editorial, authored by Barbara Marshman, attacking three genuinely impassioned, community leaders  –  City of Sunnyvale Council Candidates Andy Frazer, Steve Hoffman and Tap Merrick.

The insane “flip-side” of Barbara’s “civil” party endorsements include the City of Sunnyvale Council Vice Mayor and Candidate, Jim Griffith, who may be formally charged with committing a crime of identify theft of unethical identify theft of his opponents name and point directing of a campaign website.

Sunnyvale Jim Griffith unethical identify theft of his opponents name and campaign website

Community members have cried “we want healthy political competition, not underhanded, unfair, unhealthy behavior to permeate the Sunnyvale political environment.”

Candidates Gustav Larsson and Glenn Hendricks controversial donation from Butcher’s Corner Developer

The Special Interest website, which keeps track of campaign donations, lists Butcher’s Corner developer John Vidovich, of DeAnza Building Maintenance, as the largest donor (second to the candidates) for Sunnyvale City Council Candidate Seat 1: Gustav Larsson and Seat 2: Glenn Hendricks.

While De Anza Building & Maintenance, Inc. has a relatively low profile, the Secretary of State’s website lists Vidovich as the owner. A former employee of the company says it specializes in land use and development deals involving everything from mobile home parks and large apartment complexes to wine vineyards and pistachio farms.

Sunnyvale Planning Commissioners Gustav Larsson and Glenn Hendricks, and Councilman Jim Griffith have been busy approving immense projects such as the LinkedIn Building and the Solstice and Carmel-Lofts(Formerly Town & Country) that have unhappy neighbors forming preservation groups. 

VOTE Frazer, Hoffman and Merrick for Sunnyvale Council and Residential Representation

VOTE:  Seat 1 Andy Frazer , Seat 2 Steve Hoffman , Seat 3 Tap Merrick  for Sunnyvale City Council 2013 Election!

Andy Frazer, Steve Hoffman and Tap Merrick have been actively advocating for your Sunnyvale residential issues including Pension Reform, Public Safety, Raynor Activity Center, Ponderosa Park, S.N.A.I.L. LinkedIn Neighborhood concerns, Lakewood Village (library and pool), Butcher’s Corner, to name a few.  Andy, Steve and Tap are earnest, attending all Sunnyvale City Council Meetings and speaking on behalf of important residential  issues. They have gained strong participation and cooperation from the other residents that support the issues they have championed.

Meanwhile, their opponents Sunnyvale Planning Chair Gustav Larsson, Commissioner Glenn Hendricks and Councilmember Jim Griffith have been busy approving large commercial projects such as the massive LinkedIn building that has stirred a lot of grief among the S.N.A.I.L residents.

View of LinkedIn Building from Pine Avenue

“Those windows look directly into my back yard,” Anne Davis said. And, according to the Sunnyvale Planning minutes, dated Nov 12, 2012, neither Gustav Larsson nor Glenn Hendricks requested sight line drawings or visibility views to evaluate and protect the residential neighborhood from the 560,000 square foot, 100′ tall “black wall” in their backyards as they call it.

Sunnyvale council hopefuls battle over web domains

Courtesy Sunnyvale Sun, By Alia Wilson:   08/28/2013

A Sunnyvale councilman’s unique tactic for generating web traffic to his re-election campaign is not sitting well with his opponent.

Councilman Jim Griffith is running against Tap Merrick for Seat 3 on the city council, and Griffith was quick to pounce on his opponent’s unclaimed web addresses. Griffith scooped up alternate versions of “tapmerrickforsunnyvale” web addresses to redirect traffic to his personal re-election website.

Click here for the full Mercury News article.