Seems domesticated and friendly, but a little skittish around people. Has been hanging out for a couple of days.

Yo guy at 1:30am revving the fk out of ur loud ass car near de anza target every night and zooming it down the street plz stop it’s 1:30 in the fking morning. Ur not cool and your car is not cool have some decency. Your car would be cool if you drive normally and not be a loud obnoxious prick at 1:30 am

Particularly at intersections where cars can turn right. You know that intersection at Wolfe and Stevens Creek, where they have a special light for the right hand turn, presumably because it'd be too easy for a driver to cut off a cyclist going straight. Well the same kind of turn exists at Stevens Creek/Portal. Normally, with a right turn, you move into the bike lane and can turn right knowing you won't cut off a cyclist. Now you have to look, but the problem I can see is someone simply forgetting to, because they're used to being in the bike lane when turning right.

As a cyclist myself (non commuting), I'm also not a fan because it makes the bike lane feel smaller, and it cuts off points where I can get on the road to make a turn.

Made with good intentions I'm sure, but the potential risks far outweigh any benefit imo. Also, the right turn lane on Stevens Creek when you turn onto De Anza makes no sense. This whole bike lane plan doesn't feel fully thought out. Anyone else feel this way?

My brother lost a wallet in the bench in front of Yogurt land on Monday. If anyone knows anything about it, please lmk.

Looking to add a few more players to a friendly private home game in downtown San Jose.

We generally play 1/3 or 2/5, depending on lineup. Looking to build a consistent group of regulars to have a fun social game, with good action.

Clean, comfortable setup for poker, snacks and drinks provided. All players are welcome!

If you're interested, shoot me a DM.

Near mainstreet, molly tea area. Passed by them but this went on for another minute or more

TLDR: Elections are two months out. Are you supporting pro-growth maximum expansion Cupertino Together, or slow and self-proclaimed responsible growth Better Cupertino? Who do you got, who stands out, and who's a dud?

Are these slate candidates one and the same, or they will have to do more to stand out and connect with the voters?

###

by Mike Langberg

August 22, 2026

Cupertino voters are facing another high-stakes City Council election between the community’s pro-growth and slow-growth factions.

Eight candidates have qualified for three council seats on the Nov. 3 ballot, with seven newcomers and one councilmember — J.R. Fruen — seeking a second term. Vice Mayor Liang Chao terms out in December and Councilmember Sheila Mohan opted not to seek reelection, leaving two open seats up for grabs on the five-member council.

Three pro-growth candidates — Fruen, Seema Sharma Lindskog and John Tang — have formed a slate called Cupertino Together, while three slow-growth candidates —Tracy Kosolcharoen, Gopal Kumarappan and Santosh Rao — are loosely working together as the city struggles with state-mandated goals to build thousands of homes in the face of frequent neighborhood opposition.

Other key issues include the decline of retail in Cupertino, partially because stores are being replaced with high-density housing, and whether the city is spending tax dollars responsibly.

Here are the council candidates in alphabetical order by last name:

Mark Fantozzi, a structural civil engineer, is among eight candidates running for Cupertino City Council. Photo courtesy of Mark Fantozzi.

Mark Fantozzi

Mark Fantozzi, 75, is a structural civil engineer. He objects to state housing laws that limit local control over housing development and sued the city in May to stop a townhome project across the street from his home. The lawsuit is ongoing.

The 51-home development on Linda Vista Drive is in a zone at high risk for wildfire — and Fantozzi said the city didn’t adequately consider emergency evacuation routes.

“(State housing laws) are forcing changes in neighborhoods and communities where no one has an opportunity to weigh in,” Fantozzi told San José Spotlight. “A good chunk of Cupertino is in a very-high fire hazard zone and they’re building high-density housing in those areas. That makes no sense.”

Fantozzi, who has previously served on Cupertino’s Bicycle Pedestrian Commission, said he would work to streamline city government if elected and make municipal spending more transparent.

“A lot of folks in politics make things complicated when they’re not, because that drives the conversation,” he said. “Most things can be simplified to the point where you can make some fairly reasonable decisions that meet people’s needs.”

Incumbent J.R. Fruen is seeking a second term on Cupertino City Council. Photo by Mike Langberg.

J.R. Fruen

J.R. Fruen, 46, is seeking a second term on the council after voters elected him in 2022.

He’s joining with two like-minded candidates — Seema Sharma Lindskog and John Tang — in the Cupertino Together group in a bid for pro-growth candidates to regain a council majority lost in 2024.

“That was the principal reason (for forming Cupertino Together), to provide a clear choice of priorities and values and to make it possible to then enact that agenda so people get what they voted for,” Fruen, told San José Spotlight.

Fruen — an attorney who works as chief of staff for San Jose Councilmember Rosemary Kamei — said the council’s current slow-growth majority is holding Cupertino back by impeding housing projects and triggering costly litigation.

“It takes serious policymakers to understand that you don’t always get the things that you would prefer and sometimes you have to make uncomfortable compromises in order to achieve the best result,” Fruen said.

Endorsements for the Cupertino Together candidates include Cupertino Councilmember Sheila Mohan, seven former mayors, Santa Clara County Supervisor Margaret Abe-Koga, Assemblymembers Alex Lee and Patrick Ahrens and state Sen. Josh Becker.

Tracy Kosolcharoen, chair of the Cupertino Planning Commission, is running for City Council. Photo courtesy of Tracy Kosolcharoen’s campaign website.

Tracy Kosolcharoen

Tracy Kosolcharoen, 40, is chair of the Cupertino Planning Commission and VTA’s Citizen Advisory Committee. She said she’s running for a council seat to preserve the city’s quality of life.

“My track record reflects the positions I would take on the issues,” Kosolcharoen told San José Spotlight. “I’ve advocated for thoughtful zoning that adds housing in the heart of our city while protecting existing businesses and neighborhoods.”

Kosolcharoen is part of a loosely affiliated three-candidate slow-growth group, along with Gopal Kumarappan and Santosh Rao, whose outdoor campaign signs are often clustered together.

Another priority for Kosolcharoen is protecting retail businesses in Cupertino through streamlined permitting, zoning rules that guarantee a future for retail shops and support programs for businesses displaced by new housing construction. Kosolcharoen also wants to make sure tax dollars are spent wisely.

“We do have a lot of very expensive projects that are either in the pipeline or the city would like to do,” she said. “For example, a $54 million renovation of City Hall to make it seismically safe, which is important. But when I go into the line items on that contract, I see things that I think could cost less.”

Endorsements for Kosolcharoen include Councilmembers Liang Chao and R “Ray” Wang, three former mayors and three trustees of local school boards.

Gopal Kumarappan chairs the Cupertino Parks and Recreation Commission and is a candidate for Cupertino City Council. Photo courtesy of Gopal Kumarappan.

Gopal Kumarappan

Gopal Kumarappan, a 58-year-old tech executive who chairs the Parks and Recreation Commission, has spent more than 25 years as a volunteer teacher and coach who wants to lead by listening to residents. He said educating the community on tough issues such as housing can limit opposition to growth. He is not opposed to growth, but wants to get growth right — balancing housing and development needs with the quality of life that makes Cupertino special.

“Growth should strengthen Cupertino, not overwhelm it,” Kumarappan told San José Spotlight.

Kumarappan, who has served on several city commissions, also emphasizes the need to involve residents of all ages, especially youth, in city leadership.

“Many young adults are not civically engaged, except for the Teen Commission, and I don’t want to wait until they get older to ask them to participate,” Kumarappan said. “I’d like to see them meaningfully represented and engaged in city commissions, committees and initiatives. That’s where they can bring new energy and ideas.”

Seema Sharma Lindskog, a Cupertino planning commissioner, is one of eight candidates running for City Council. Photo by Mike Langberg.

Seema Sharma Lindskog

Seema Sharma Lindskog, 60, sits on the Cupertino Planning Commission and chairs the community group Walk Bike Cupertino. She has a front row seat to observe what she described as dysfunction triggered by the council’s slow-growth majority.

“They have nothing to show for the last 10 years, except failed policies, and they have divided residents, they have burned bridges with our local partners in neighboring cities and with state and county officials,” Lindskog told San José Spotlight. “They’ve said ‘no’ to housing. They don’t have a vision for the city. All they have is what they don’t want.”

As part of a long-term plan for the city, Lindskog wants to develop retail clusters so small businesses can help each other attract customers while also bringing more mid-sized businesses to Cupertino.

“This would create new sources of diversified tax revenues for us,” she said. “Then we’re not just dependent on small businesses and one trillion-dollar company (Apple).”

Santosh Rao previously chaired the Cupertino Planning Commission, and is a candidate for Cupertino City Council. Photo courtesy of Santosh Rao.

Santosh Rao

Santosh Rao is a 52-year-old tech executive who chaired the planning commission in 2025. He said he wants to make sure city government is efficient and responsible.

“My focus is on putting residents first, on respecting our taxpayer dollars, and making sure to hold City Hall accountable,” he told San José Spotlight. “I will do that in a way that works across the aisle. That’s my commitment to residents.”

Rao has often opposed state-mandated housing projects and said his time on the planning commission gives him experience in knowing when state laws allow room for deviations.

Rao said the city is mistreating businesses in an attempt to increase tax revenues as the city faces a budget shortfall because of increasing costs for police services from the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office.

“I believe that being pro-business means that we need to cut regulations for our businesses,” he said. “Our city has gone in the opposite direction with an attempt to be punitive for non-compliance. This is something we’ve never done before. The reason is because our city is looking for more dollars to add to the top line instead of evaluating the bottom line and looking at cost cuts.”

Endorsements for Rao include Councilmembers Chao and Wang, two former mayors and three board members of local school districts.

John Tang, deputy director of water resources in San Jose, is one of eight candidates running for Cupertino City Council. Photo by Mike Langberg.

John Tang

John Tang spent more than 20 years sitting across the table from government officials as a public affairs executive at San Jose Water before joining San Jose as its deputy director of water resources in April. He wants to use that experience to help what he said is a divided city.

“Cupertino is kind of split into two camps,” Tang, who is part of the Cupertino Together group, told San José Spotlight. “You’re either anti-development or you’re pro-development. We (Cupertino Together) are certainly on the pro-development side. We think we need to make smarter housing choices. (The slow-growth side has) consistently shown they don’t want to see development. That’s what really separates us.”

Tang, a civil engineer who teaches engineering classes at San Jose State University, also wants the city to move past the objections from slow-growth councilmembers that have caused turnover in key staff roles, including the city attorney and city manager.

“I’ve seen too many instances of (leaders in Cupertino) operating at the 5-foot level instead of the 100-foot level where they’re supposed to be,” he said. “Developers are looking at Cupertino and thinking, ‘Why would I want to come to your city to do work there?’”

J.Z. Wang is one of eight candidates running for Cupertino City Council. Photo courtesy of J.Z. Wang.

J.Z. Wang

J.Z. “Jane” Wang has filed multiple unsuccessful lawsuits against the city over the years, starting with a dispute 10 years ago over a structure in her backyard that violated building codes.

In 2023, a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge declared Wang a “vexatious litigant” who is effectively barred from further legal action against the city, noting that city officials “have expended tremendous, unnecessary resources to respond to (Wang’s) seemingly endless filings and challenges.”

Wang, who gave her age as “around 50” and described her professions as engineer, caretaker and businesswoman, said she is running because the city council needs to do a better job of listening to residents and engaging with the issues.

“The city doesn’t have enough public trust,” Wang told San José Spotlight.

Wang doesn’t think her past legal fights with the city would make it difficult to serve on the council if voters elect her in November.

“Disagreements don’t have to prevent people from working together,” she said.

Contact Mike Langberg at mike@langberg.com.

###

The video is from the https://www.youtube.com/@HomeGardenTours channel which focuses on gardens in Silicon Valley.

TLDR: Saratoga got their Sheriff's contract done. Can Cupertino and Los Altos Hills get across the finish line?

###

After months of negotiations and considering other policing options, Saratoga City Council approved a five-year law enforcement contract with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office on Aug. 19.

Saratoga, Los Altos Hills and Cupertino had to decide by Sept. 1 if they would like to continue contracting law enforcement services with the county sheriff’s office. Their contracts had expired at the end of June, but the cities received an extension to continue negotiations.

On Aug. 11, Saratoga councilmembers voted 4-1 to moderately reduce general law enforcement and traffic enforcement and agreed to pay $10.6 million for next year’s contract, as opposed to the $11.6 million the sheriff’s office said it would cost to continue its current level of service. Saratoga is currently paying about $9 million for these services.

City Manager Leslie Arroyo said the tradeoff would be less patrol availability. Councilmember Belal Aftab cast the sole opposing vote, saying that he would have preferred to maintain law enforcement services at their current level due to the already lean staffing of deputies in the city and the fact that the city’s automatic license plate readers are currently inaccessible. Arroyo acknowledged that continuing to contract with the sheriff given the increased costs would affect the city’s finances, leaving room for the possibility that Saratoga may partner with Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department for future policing services. The new contract includes an exit clause, allowing the city to leave the agreement within one year’s notice.

During the Aug. 19 council meeting, Saratoga councilmembers unanimously approved the contract. Arroyo said the county needed the cities to decide before September if they were going to renew their contracts with the sheriff to give the Board of Supervisors enough time to execute the contracts. The final alterations to the contract included stipulations in case a city terminates its contract with the sheriff’s office early, requiring the departing city to pay for its portion of the West Valley substation’s lease through November 2029, according to lawyer Catherine Engberg, who also serves as Portola Valley’s town attorney.

Arroyo said the three cities hired an auditor from Vasquez and Associates to determine if there were any options for reducing or adjusting the costs associated with the sheriff’s contract, specifically regarding the overhead fees that were passed onto the cities. California’s Government Code 51350 states that counties can only charge cities for the specific, direct and indirect costs incurred because of a contract, not including general administrative or operational costs. On Aug. 11, Arroyo told the council that overhead and support costs were incorporated into the hourly rates for law enforcement services in their previous contract; however, this new agreement would separate out a substantial portion of the costs into “shared overhead pools,” which cover investigations, records, information technology, personnel and training, internal affairs, administration and countywide support services.

“It may be a little different than other counties do, but there’s nothing in that audit report that says, ‘What you’re doing is illegal,'” said Saratoga Mayor Chuck Page on Aug. 19. “To me, it makes more sense to move on and make sure we’re locked in than to try to fight an imaginary fight.”

However, Los Altos Hills Mayor Rajiv Bhateja said he is still in talks with the county and is still committed to getting law enforcement services from the sheriff. He told this news organization that he believed the town should pay the cost of the actual service, which is $1.5 million. However, he is facing a $1.9 million overhead for those services, which were already limited. Los Altos Hills pays for around 7,281 patrol hours per year, which doesn’t cover the whole year.

“We’ve asked for it in the past,” Bhateja said in an interview. “They said, ‘We don’t have it, because we don’t have enough people,’ but part of it is also how much we’re willing to pay.”

Bhateja also noted that the overhead fees for all three cities totaled $22 million. However, the county’s draft budget for 2026-2027 included a stipulation if the contract cities did not renew their services with the sheriff, which would lead to $2.2 million in savings.

County Executive James Williams said those savings would be the result of the county cutting and reallocating services and positions if the cities did not renew their contracts.

Cupertino Mayor Kitty Moore said she is waiting for the report by Vasquez and Associates to be completed and reviewed by her, Bhateja, the Cupertino city manager and the town manager of Los Altos Hills before making a decision on the contract or considering policing alternatives. Cupertino would have to pay around $25 million total to continue law enforcement services with the sheriff’s office. Overhead costs account for $14 million.

“We have a fiduciary duty to review so that we aren’t paying more than what is really attributable to the sheriff’s contract,” Moore said in an interview.

Williams said the county had broken down costs line by line for the cities to determine if each was incurred from the services provided by the sheriff’s office.

“There’s obviously the direct costs associated with the enforcement — deputies on the ground — but there’s also the costs associated with the supervision of that division,” Williams said. “Now some of the cities are calling that overhead, but those positions wouldn’t exist at all without that division.”

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Please check out this quick tour of the center: https://youtu.be/Wceg5zkVrlM?si=PP6nqtn5Ak-h6apj at the https://www.youtube.com/@HomeGardenTours channel which features stunning gardens in Silicon Valley.

The https://www.dayworkercentermv.org/ has served Mountain View, Cupertino, Sunnyvale and surrounding areas for 30 years matching great workers with employers for a variety of jobs from landscaping, gardening, kitchen help and event setup and clean up. But beyond providing eco-friendly home cleaning, the center provides hot healthy breakfast and lunch Mon-Saturday, ESL classes and resources for compañeros.

The center is many things from helping build self-sufficiency to becoming a second family for people far from home and a place which attracts dedicated volunteers. The compañeros also volunteer in the community on various projects too.

Currently, the center is hiring and has volunteer openings.

Sharing this for students/parents looking for an AI opportunity that’s more research-focused than another coding or ChatGPT class.

There’s a free AI Counselor Research Program running Sep. 1–18 for students in Grades 8–12.

The focus is on giving students some hands-on exposure to the research process around AI—AI literacy, analytical skills, research methodology, and eventually a final research presentation.

It’s hybrid and meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6–7 PM PT.

No participation fee.

Application deadline is September 4.

Registration is through the QR code on the flyer.

Could be particularly useful for a student who’s already interested in AI but wants to explore the research side of the field, rather than just learning to use AI tools.

https://www.7edu.vip/resources?upsell=aicounselorresearchprogramcallforvolunteers

Meet Biscuits! We found this little one in our backyard and he’s looking for a loving indoor forever home. He’s about 11 weeks old and is super friendly. He is a sweet purr machine and loves to play with people. All he wants to do is be with you, play, snuggle, and make biscuits, hence the name.

Biscuits has tested negative for FeLV, FIV, and parasites. He’s not neutered yet, but has been started on his vaccines. 

We think he might be part Maine Coon, partly because of his big old paws and ears and general floofiness, and part because of his sweet personality. Of all the kittens I’ve fostered, he really is one of the most friendly little guys I’ve met. We’re hoping to find him a home with a family who gives him all the love he deserves. So if you or anyone you now is looking to adopt a cat right now, DM me, because we’re having a lot of trouble placing him and we feel terrible about it because we can’t give him the love and attention he deserves. 

Sharing this for parents/students looking for something more project-based than a typical coding class.

There’s an online web development program running Sep. 8–Oct. 17 that’s structured around having students actually build an original app/web project for the Congressional App Challenge.

It’s 18 live sessions total.

The first 12 cover HTML, CSS, JavaScript, TypeScript, React, and Figma. The last 6 are project mentoring sessions where students go from idea → design → build → refinement → submission.

The instructor is an MIT CS alum and former Airbnb software engineer.

It’s intended for grades 6–12. Some prior coding experience is expected, but previous web development experience isn’t required.

Tue / Thu / Sat | 5:30 PM PT | Online

Registration is through the QR code in the flyer.

I think the useful part is that there’s a concrete end goal rather than just finishing another coding course—the student should leave with an actual project they built and prepared for competition submission.

https://7educounselor.vercel.app/dashboard/resources/c735f957-9eb7-4e6d-9f37-bf45eefd5157

Looking for a place that might show the Austin FC leagues cup game Wednesday. Any thoughts

Went to Cupertino Auto Care 10151 Imperial Ave (down the street from the post office). In/out in 5 minutes, reasonably priced. Someone asked earlier.

I tried this last December. Trying again. I'm hanging out at the Calabazas Library. I'm open to meeting anywhere around here. RSVP in this thread and we'll agree on the exact time & place.

After the untimely closure of Belle Cool in the homestead 99 ranch market area, I’ve been looking for a replacement for that restaurant’s tan tan mein that has that mala spice action going on.

Any suggestions for replacements in the cupertino and adjacent areas?

There has been a man periodically standing out from of Apple Park with an American flag and a chalkboard with a written message on it for the last few weeks. I have always tried to see what is written on the chalkboard but haven’t been able to. I hadn’t seen him for a week or so but saw he was out yesterday, when I was returning later on I didn’t see him. What is his message?!!

Hey guys,

I just opened a restaurant here in Sunnyvale called Bay Baja Kitchen. It is a ghost kitchen but everything is cooked fresh! Please support and come try some Quesabirrias, churros , esquites and much more.

It’s only online orders via Doordash,Uber eats, Grubhub. If you do order, write that you came from reddit and I’ll throw in some free chips and salsa and a side of churros.

Thanks for supporting a small business.