In October 2023, many concerned residents emailed the Cupertino Council to oppose the proposal for a new City Hall, which could cost over $80 million. You can check this old newsletter for details. Since then, there have been no updates on this topic in PUBLIC meetings. However, the majority of the council (Hung Wei, JR Fruen and Sheila Mohan) has not abandoned the plan, with Councilmember JR Fruen particularly vocal in his support for a larger City Hall over the past two years.

At the June 18 meeting, residents were shocked to learn that the city plans to PURCHASE an old office building. The city claimed this would be for temporary use while workers address safety issues in the old City Hall. However, quite a few residents questioned this:

  1. If it is only for temp use, why purchase an entire building instead of renting one? The cost would be around 10 times more than renting a building. Our city is facing financial difficulties leading to cuts in many city service programs. So why spend so much money on purchasing a building for temporary use?
  2. A resident pointed out that the office building the city plans to buy has many issues due to lack of proper maintenance. The ceiling, elevator, and electrical wiring all have problems, making it far from move-in ready. If the situation is urgent, as some council members claimed, why not find a rental that is already in move-in condition? Additionally, the cost of remodeling will be a burden on taxpayers.
  3. The majority of the council has voted to change the use of Cupertino public land in 2023. This means that if our old City Hall becomes vacant, it could be opened to other types of development. We need to approach this situation with caution.

There are more pressing concerns to address. The majority of the council rejected Liang and Kitty’s proposal to include further discussion about leasing or purchasing the temporary building on the public meeting agenda. Without transparency in the policy-making process, how can we believe the majority council is accountable? You can learn more details from the following video clips of the June council meeting:

 

More information was provided in the article on San Jose Spotlight.

Councilmember Kitty Moore said the discussions are sending mixed messages, with the city shopping for real estate after it cut millions in services, including the Fourth of July fireworks show. The city cut those services to help balance its roughly $10.1 million deficit for fiscal year 2024-25, largely caused by a loss in Apple sales tax revenue. “Personally, the idea of a sight unseen real estate purchase in a falling office market is very concerning,”

Councilmember Hung Wei supports the move out of concern for city employees. “We’re still in the exploration stage, but my priority is to get our staff into a safe place,” she told San José Spotlight. “I don’t think we can wait for another three to five years for planning.” Ironically, she voted down the 2022 City Hall renovation plan, which could have immediately helped city employees, after she became Mayor. During her term, the ~$80 million New City Hall Plan was added to the agenda.

If you are also concerned, please write to our city council, city clerk, and city staff, ask them to release more information related to the City Hall in future PUBLIC meetings. Help Councilmember Kitty Moore and Liang Chao to protect our taxpayers’ interest!