Sunnyvale Council Members air out differences, but little agreement on meeting protocol

By Alia Wilson

“First of all, the mayor is chosen by him voting for himself and three other people; there’s no magic sanctity or wisdom imparted through that mechanism,” Pat Meyering said. “The statement that no one is given authority except by the majority is completely false and inconsistent with a couple hundred years of American democracy,” Meyering added.

Pat Meyering cited one occasion where a council member made a motion to cut off debate, thus cutting off Meyering, and the motion was immediately seconded and unanimously approved. “These vague phrases of having a smooth meeting don’t give anybody the right, even if it’s a 6-1 vote, to cut off the minority,” Meyering said. “This is a bizarre discussion where we’re talking about the majority can do this, the majority can do that. The majority is limited.”

CLICK HERE for the full San Jose Mercury News article.

Advertisement

Neighbors raise funds for Save Raynor Park lawsuit legal fees

By Alia Wilson Sunnyvale Sun

A group of Sunnyvale residents fighting to restore public access to Raynor Park has raised almost enough money to cover all of its legal fees, but the battle is not yet over. Save Sunnyvale Parks & Schools, Inc. filed a lawsuit against the city in January over the sale of the Raynor Activity Center, alleging the sale agreement violates both California’s Public Parks Preservation Act and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

According to the lawsuit–filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court–the city approved the sale without having determined whether an environmental impact report is required by CEQA, and violated the Public Park Preservation Act by selling available parkland without the intent to replace it.

CLICK HERE for the full San Jose Mercury News article.

Save Raynor – Heading into court on April 25th, 9am

Courtesy Tappan Merrick

Thank you for signing our Save Raynor Petition. CLICK HERE for the petition.

It’s really happening: We are heading into California Superior court in San Jose on April 25th, 9am to stop our public land at Raynor Park from being sold to a private entity.

Our legal team is doing final preparations — preparing to go before California state judge, Hon. Joseph Huber to argue that the City of Sunnyvale is subject to California law of Park Preservation Act of 1971. See more details here: http://www.savesunnyvaleparks.com/causes/save-raynor-park/

We still find it baffling and outrageous that we’re arguing this demurrer. As you are aware that we had filed a lawsuit against the City of Sunnyvale, under the California laws of Park Preservation Act and Environmental Protection Act to stop selling our precious park land in the heart of Silicon Valley.

Commentary: Questions loom over sale of Raynor Activity Center

By Preeti Sharma for Silicon Valley Community Newspapers

In the past year the Raynor Activity Center has moved from being “a liability to own” to “futile to lease,” and now swiftly to “profitable to sell.” As it stands now, the sale of the Raynor Activity Center seems to be motivated by the zeal to fund a branch library in the Lakewood Village neighborhood.

Raynor has been sold (as opposed to the originally council-approved lease) to the bidder that best meets these goals, with no regard to its impact on the neighborhood. The city has made the conscious choice to rob Peter to pay Paul.

CLICK HERE for the full Mercury News Sunnyvale Sun Article

Sunnyvale Resident voices concern over Raynor Park Council Decision

Courtesy Karen Reilly

The December 3rd city council meeting revealed the  split of the council members on quality of life issues for Sunyvale residents.  The majority voting block consistently votes for concessions to outside developers and against quality of life issues which will detrimentally impact our city in the  future.

Councilman Whitttum proposed a creative amendment which would decrease the  sale price of the Raynor Park building in order to remove the priority use of our taxpayer parkland. Another pro-growth council member said he was out of order.

I feel the opposite is true: the majority aggressive pro-growth council is out of order.  No amount of LEED Certified building materials, used in the construction of the 1.8 million square ft. Moffet towers, in the pacific flyway, will offset the pollution and congestion caused by an additional 4,000 cars/day on Mathilda Ave.

When I asked another pro-growth council member where all of the new residents of the multi-story downtown apt dwellers would attend school, he answered that the occupants are not projected to have school aged children.  Since the new developments are not seniors-only units, I do not understand how he can make this assumption.  

The local elementary, Ellis, is at maximum enrollment, having grown from 500 to 860 students.  There is a complete disconnect between the majority rampant pro-growth city council members and the negative impact their decisions are creating.  

Please contact the Council and voice your concerns to raise their consciousness regarding the short sightedness of their decisions.

Sunnyvale Resident Karen Reilly

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.

Tap Merrick is the best candidate for Sunnyvale City Council Seat #3

Tap Merrick is running for Sunnyvale City Council Seat #3 for the benefit of the homeowners in Sunnyvale. Sunnyvale does not have Districts, therefore, voters can vote for each seat on the ballot (Seat 1, 2 and 3).

One of the strongest qualifications that Tap Merrick has, above his opponent Jim Griffith,  is a highly skilled financial background.  Tap holds a MSBA in finance and a BA in business administration, cum laude. He also has an extensive educational experience in public finance.

Sunnyvale City Council Oct 15 Candidate Forum now available on-line

The video from Oct 15, 2013 City of Sunnyvale City Council Candidate Forum is now available on-line at:

http://sunnyvaleca.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=4&clip_id=1236

Sunnyvale does not have Districts per each Council Seat. Therefore, voters will have the opportunity to vote for each of the three seats City of Sunnyvale Council Election 2013.

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.

Time to preserve neighborhoods in Sunnyvale

Reader Letters Courtesy San Jose Mercury News Oct 4, 2013

I was extremely disappointed in the Mercury News recommendations on the Sunnyvale City Council race (Editorial, Sept. 30). The editorial suggested that several candidates for city council are unacceptable choices because of association with Councilman Pat Meyering. Being sympathetic to Meyering’s views should not be cause for disqualification. Many Sunnyvale residents should be sympathetic to Meyering’s views if they want the character of their neighborhoods to remain intact.

After listening to candidates Steve Hoffman and Andy Frazer address the city council and at a recent candidate’s forum, it’s clear that they have well-reasoned positions and they present them via civil debate. It’s time for council members to put Sunnyvale neighborhoods first, and that concept is front and center in the minds of candidates Hoffman and Frazer. By contrast, the Mercury News’ recommended candidates appear to put development first, with preserving the character of Sunnyvale neighborhoods not at the top of their priority list.

Gary Beaupre Sunnyvale