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In This Issue
County to Allow Additional Outdoor Activities
In light of declining rates of COVID-19 in the community, County officials announced on Monday, February 22 that the County’s Mandatory Health Officer Directives will be updated to allow a broader range of outdoor activities given the lower risk of transmission outside. The changes, effective Friday, February 26, allow a range of social and recreational outdoor activity to resume, including youth sports, performing arts, and enrichment activities, so long as they occur only outdoors. The change will allow all those activities authorized under the State order, including under the State’s recently updated guidance for Youth and Recreational Adult Sports, to proceed. Restrictions on outdoor gatherings of all kinds will also be relaxed to encourage people not to gather indoors, where there is a much worse risk of transmission.
Although community transmission has lowered, the County reminds the community that no activities involving multiple households are risk-free. Community members are encouraged to continue practicing proven measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, such as wearing masks, physical distancing, and getting vaccinated when it is your turn.
Expansion of COVID-19 Vaccinations
County officials announced on Wednesday, February 17 that healthcare providers across Santa Clara County will expand access to COVID-19 vaccination to workers in education and childcare, emergency services, and the food and agriculture industries, starting February 28. The County Health System is currently scheduling nearly 10,000 vaccination appointments at sites across the County each day, in addition to several vaccination sites that do not require an appointment.
Expanding access to additional groups comes after Santa Clara County reached a key milestone – more than half of county residents age 75 and older received at least one dose of the vaccine, and soon half of those 65 and older will have received at least one dose. The County is urging older residents who have not yet been vaccinated to schedule an appointment now.
Residents without internet access or who need additional assistance can call 211 for assistance in multiple languages. Appointments fill up quickly, but new appointments will be regularly released as vaccine supply allows, and community members are encouraged to check regularly.
The County’s COVID-19 vaccine website will include updates and more information, including when those newly eligible can start to schedule vaccine appointments.
State and Local Support for Small Businesses
A new website, saferatwork.covid19.ca.gov, has been launched to serve as a one-stop resource for business and work-related COVID issues by the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency and the California Department of Industrial Relations. It serves as a resource for COVID-19 prevention in the workplace and to bring awareness and easy access to vital programs, services, and information offered by the Department of Industrial Relations.
Also, on Tuesday, February 23, the Governor signed an early budget action package of bills into law that includes a number of provisions that will benefit Cupertino’s local businesses:
- Support for Small Businesses
- $2.1 billion in additional funding for the State’s COVID relief small business and non-profit program. This is in addition to the $500 million that was approved for the program by the Governor and Legislature in December.
- $2 billion in tax cuts, focused on small businesses, over the next several years by exempting the first $150,000 of expenses paid by federal Paycheck Protection Program and federal Economic Injury Disaster Loan funds.
- $116 million in fee cuts by waiving various state fees for two years for heavily impacted service industries.
Additionally, the City of Cupertino will be partnering with the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to provide upcoming webinars on financial assistance for small businesses and pivot opportunities for business operations.
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Regnart Creek Trail Project Update
A construction contract for the Regnart Creek Trail Project has been awarded to Redwood Construction Engineering. The Notice to Proceed was issued on February 9, and with an allocated construction duration of 306 calendar days, the project is anticipated to be complete by this December. A letter to residents within a 300-foot radius of the project site was sent on February 5 to alert everyone that construction would start soon. On February 12, a second letter was distributed to residents living adjacent to the creek, with some work occurring immediately behind their homes.
The contractor has begun work on the project. To date, this work has included placement of storm water erosion controls and tree protection throughout the length of the project.
A contractor staging area has been set up in the City Hall parking lot immediately behind Community Hall. In the event that parking demand in the parking lot increases, the contractor will be required to relocate the staging area to a less congested area outside the parking lot.
No bids were received for the Regnart Creek Trail Fencing Project. Staff has solicited proposals from several companies and responses are expected as early as this week. Fence work will occur concurrently with the trail construction, once contractors for the fence work are under contract.
Linda Vista Trail Property Acquisition Complete
The Public Works Department completed the City's acquisition of the Linda Vista Trail property from Richard and Ellen Lowenthal. The Lowenthal's offered to donate the 1.56 acre strip of land if the City was willing to initiate a project to open the trail to the public.
The Linda Vista Trail Project contract was approved by City Council and executed in December 2020. The contractor has been working diligently to complete construction.
The Linda Vista Trail linkage has been considered by the City for many years, and the Lowenthal's generous donation has enabled the City to provide this amenity to the community. The project is anticipated to be complete by May 1.
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Survey: Role of Enforcement in Safe Routes to School
Cupertino Safe Routes to School (SR2S) has been considering the recommendation given by the national Safe Routes Partnership to remove Enforcement from our local Framework of E's and to remove or reduce the role of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office in the Cupertino Safe Routes program.
The City has appreciated the conversations we've had with our partners around the topic over the past several months, and we are moving to the next stage in the decision-making process – to gather input from the community. We hope you will provide your feedback by taking the survey below regarding the Role of Enforcement in SR2S. The survey is open until March 31. Take the survey here.
2021 CREST Awards Nomination Period Open
Do you know someone who should be recognized for their efforts in volunteering, sustainability, or public safety?
For more than 30 years, the City of Cupertino has recognized its outstanding community volunteers with an awards program. Hundreds of residents and community organizations have been honored with the award, now known as the CREST (Cupertino Recognizes Extra Steps Taken) Awards.
For the past three years, the City has presented awards in six categories to better reflect the Cupertino community. The categories are:
- Lifetime Achievement Award (Volunteer) – Recognizes a member of the community who has volunteered in the City of Cupertino for 10+ years.
- Volunteer of the Year – Recognizes individuals who have made a difference to the Cupertino community through volunteer service.
- Organization of the Year – Recognizes organizations that have made a difference to the Cupertino community through volunteer service.
- Rising Star Award (Volunteer) – Recognizes an individual who has volunteered in Cupertino for three or less years but shows a continued commitment to the future of the Cupertino community.
- Public Safety Champion of the Year – Recognizes an individual or group that has made an outstanding contribution to the safety of Cupertino.
- Sustainability Champion of the Year – Recognizes a person or group committed to maintaining a sustainable and healthy place to live, work, and play in Cupertino.
Award criteria and nomination requirements are on the application form, which can be found on the City's CREST Awards page. Complete the information and attach your answers to the required questions. Please be as detailed as possible. Applications are due by Friday, February 26.
Follow-up questions can be sent to Communications Officer Brian Babcock at pio@cupertino.org.
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Food for Thought: A Lunchtime Chat with City Manager Deb Feng and Councilmember Hung Wei
The City held its first “Food for Thought” event on Friday, February 19 at noon. Thirty-one residents attended, which is one of the highest attendance rates for an event like this. Residents were able to discuss any topic they wanted with two of the City’s decision makers. Some topics included homelessness, small cells, bike lanes, and a new City Hall to name a few.
The next Food for Thought event is scheduled for Friday, March 19 at noon. More details to follow.
City Maintains FEMA Rating for Flood Protection
The Public Works Department acts as the City's Floodplain Manager by ensuring that flood protection measures are adequately designed and constructed during the development of property, as well as maintaining and providing relevant information and services focused on flood protection.
The City is audited every five years by representatives of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Community Rating System (CRS) to ensure these practices are maintained. The City was audited in 2020 and was able to maintain its CRS rating of seven, through the efforts of the City's Public Works Department and Geographic Information System (GIS) Division, along with community education and outreach provided by the Santa Clara Valley Water District.
Maintaining a CRS rating of seven provides a 15% discount to flood insurance rates to residents who currently hold, or wish to obtain, flood insurance policies.
Cupertino Block Leaders Learn About Crime and COVID-19 Impacts
At an annual Cupertino Block Leaders meeting, the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office presented crime data from 2020, explained how COVID-19 impacted operations, and offered tips to prevent scams and identity theft. The live webinar, with Captain Rich Urena and Lieutenant Neil Valenzuela from the West Valley Division of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, was held on February 10.
About 65 Block Leaders participated in the live webinar. The meeting was recorded and received over 120 views in just a few days following the session. To access the presentation slides, visit the Block Leader page.
Commission Resignation and Alternate Appointment
Nitya Devisetti resigned from the Teen Commission on February 9. The City Council appointed Arya Srivastava as the Commission's First Alternate and she will fill the vacancy as per Council resolution. The resignation letter from Nitya Devisetti can be viewed in the attachments link below.
Kindness Week Highlights Kindness to Self and Others
From February 15 to 19, the Cupertino Youth Activity Board, with the Saratoga and Campbell Youth Commissions, launched a social media campaign centered around promoting kindness to their communities and practicing self-love.
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The campaign featured a joint #teenkindnessweek hashtag, a 'Guess the Location' game with chalk messages scattered throughout Cupertino, a self-kindness campaign highlighting the importance of self-care, and a Cards for Kindness campaign which collected messages for essential workers and first responders. The three teen leadership boards created the initiative to expand upon National Random Acts of Kindness Day and highlight the importance of kindness to the community and oneself during these times. |
2021 Orange Harvest Yields 600 Pounds for Donation
On Sunday, February 14, the City of Cupertino partnered with Village Harvest to harvest the oranges at the historic Stocklmeir Ranch. A small group of volunteers collected 600 pounds of oranges, which were donated to Martha's Kitchen.
 Martha's Kitchen has been preparing meals for those in need since 1981 and will use the Stocklmeir Ranch oranges harvest to help feed those in need throughout Santa Clara County. The City has been partnering with Village Harvest since 2013 and has harvested and donated nearly three tons of oranges.
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City Communications Regarding COVID-19
The City of Cupertino continues to monitor the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) as the safety of our residents remains our highest priority. All City facilities remain closed until further notice. While City Hall is closed to the public, the City continues to provide essential services online at cupertino.org and by phone at (408) 777-3200. These essential services include responding to 311 requests and maintaining the City’s infrastructure, among others. For detailed and up-to-date information regarding COVID-19, visit U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Santa Clara County Public Health Department.
The City continues to provide essential services by phone or online. Find more details here.
City Hall Contact Information
*Please note some lines may be unattended from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
The Scene
February is the month to show some love, and there's no better way than with the "I Love Cupertino" e-Gift Card to help support local businesses in Cupertino! Read about the program and additional updates from the City, including how the City has been assisting those experiencing homelessness, the 2021 CREST Awards nomination period, and the Cupertino Climate Challenge, all in the February Scene. Download at cupertino.org/scene.
Upcoming Agenda Items and Law Enforcement
View attachments here, which include the City Council agenda forecast through March 16 and the Sheriff’s weekly reports for February 8 – February 21.
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