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April 15, 2021

In This Issue

COVID-19 News and Updates

Expanded Vaccine Appointment Availability

Officials from the County of Santa Clara announced on Tuesday, April 13 that a significant increase in vaccine supplies has allowed the County Health System to release tens of thousands of additional vaccine appointments throughout this week. Many more appointments will be made available the following week.

The increased supply is coming directly to the County of Santa Clara Health System from the federal government under a program operated by the federal Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA). As a result of the expanded vaccine supply, the County opened vaccine eligibility to all individuals age 16 or older who live or work in Santa Clara County on Tuesday, April 13.

Community members are encouraged to schedule vaccination appointments through the County’s website sccfreevax.org or by calling 211.

Beyond the Blueprint for a Safer Economy

As we have passed 20 million vaccines administered and COVID-19 case rates and hospitalizations have stabilized, California is looking to move beyond the Blueprint for a Safer Economy to fully reopening our economy. On June 15, all industries across the State can return to usual operations with common-sense risk reduction measures such as masking and vaccinations continuing.

We will only progress to this stage if we continue to stay vigilant, keep wearing our masks and getting vaccinated. The State will monitor hospitalization rates, vaccine access, and vaccine efficacy against variants with the option to revisit the June 15 date if needed.

On June 15, California will fully open its economy if two criteria are met:

        1. Equitable vaccine availability: If vaccine supply is sufficient for Californians 16 years              or older who wish to be vaccinated.

AND

        2. Consistently low burden of disease: Hospitalizations are stable and low, and                            specifically, hospitalizations among fully vaccinated individuals are low.

When California fully reopens the economy, the State will move beyond the Blueprint for a Safer Economy. Common-sense health measures such as masking will remain across the State. Testing or vaccination verification requirements will remain in relevant settings. Find detailed information here.

General City News and Updates

Quarterly Sales Tax Update

The City receives 1% of proceeds from sales and use taxes imposed within Cupertino boundaries. Sales tax receipts for the fourth quarter of the 2020 calendar year (October to December) were 49.1% above the same period one year ago. The continued year-over-year declines in general consumer goods, restaurants and hotels, and fuel and service stations were prompted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, these decreases were neutralized by the continued surge in online sales as in-person restrictions lead customers to online options. This simultaneously increased the City’s share of the County pool, which was up over $2 million year-over-year. Our consultant, HdL Companies, released a report (attached) that provides a high-level analysis of sales tax receipts for the City.

Regarding statewide sales tax trends, according to the HdL Companies, local one-cent tax revenues for California overall were 1.9% lower than October through December of 2019. The losses were primarily concentrated in coastal regions and communities popular with tourists while much of inland California exhibited gains. Generally, declining receipts from fuel sales, in addition to brick and mortar retail and restaurants, were the primary factors leading to this quarter’s overall decrease. However, they were largely offset by a continuing acceleration in online shopping. This produced huge gains in the County use tax pools where tax revenues from purchases shipped from out-of-state are allocated and in revenues allocated to jurisdictions with in-state fulfillment centers and order desks. With distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, significant recovery is anticipated in Fiscal Year 2021-2022 in general consumer goods, restaurants and hotels, and fuel and service stations. However, the extent and timing of recovery is dependent on the specific character and make up of each jurisdiction’s tax base.

View details regarding the top businesses in Cupertino, revenue comparison, and more in the attachments.

Environmental Day at New Temporary Location

After a year of cancellations due to COVID-19-related safety concerns and no access to the usual location, the City’s Environmental Recycling Day and Shredding Event will return this Saturday, April 17 from 8 a.m. to noon. As De Anza College is still closed to the public, this event will be held at Recology’s South Bay Facility at 1675 Rogers Avenue in San Jose. Cupertino residents are invited to bring up to three banker’s boxes of documents for shredding, as well as e-waste, small amounts of construction debris, yard waste, and kitchen appliances without freon. No donatable materials or hazardous materials will be accepted at this event. Residents with hazardous materials are encouraged to visit HHW.org to access the no-charge Santa Clara County drop-off program. A map of the event location and details about acceptable and unacceptable materials are at cupertino.org/environmentalday.

Compost Site Open for 2021 Season

The compost site opened on Friday, March 26 for the 2021 season and 245 people have already visited. Residents are welcome to bring their own bags, buckets, or other containers and shovels to pick up compost. The compost, provided by Recology, is made from residential food scraps and yard waste collected from Cupertino's organics recycling program. A driver's license or valid California ID is required to verify Cupertino residency and shoveling time is limited to 15 minutes. The site will be open on Fridays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon through mid-November. However, access to the site is contingent upon weather, COVID-related health orders, and air quality. Please note that the compost site will close during rainy weather or muddy conditions to comply with State stormwater requirements. To check the status of the site, call ahead to (408) 777-1320 for a recorded message that is updated regularly or check the dedicated web page. The compost site is located at 12100 Stevens Canyon Road across from the Stevens Creek Reservoir dam parking lot.

Crossing Guard Services to Resume as Students Return to Schools for Hybrid Learning

With schools reopening comes increased bicycle, pedestrian, and vehicular traffic around schools. However, it will be lighter than a typical school year because only a portion of each school’s student population will go to school at one time. Please be patient with students making their way to schools and crossing guards who may be crossing smaller groups of students more frequently to allow for social distancing.

While each school has its own bell schedule, here is the general return to school schedule:

• There will be no in-person learning on Wednesdays
• April 5: Elementary and middle schools returned for a transitional week with short days
• April 12: Spring Break week
• April 19: All schools return for a hybrid learning schedule through early June

On Monday, April 19 the City of Cupertino is redeploying crossing guards throughout the City. Services have been paused for over a year while students were learning from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Students are returning to learn in-person this month and crossing guards will be on duty at fifteen locations to help them cross the streets safely on their way to and from school. The City is making a notable change to crossing guard services this year by providing an electronic hand whistle to each guard, which sounds with the push of a button. This allows guards to keep their mask on, minimizing the spread of COVID-19. Guards are scheduled at the following times on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays:

• Grades 1 through 5: before and after school
• Grades 6 through 8: before 1^st and 4^th periods and after 3^rd and 6^th periods
• Grades 9 through 12: before 1^st and 4^th periods and after 6^th and 7^th periods

Celebrate Earth Day the Cupertino Way

This year, the City's annual Earth and Arbor Day celebration will be held virtually, featuring a full day of video content to spotlight sustainability. The Restore our Earth Speaker Series will air starting from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 24 on Cupertino’s Facebook and YouTube Live. This event will demonstrate sustainable living practices, highlight home-grown initiatives, and share stories about the diverse ways our community is creating a sustainable future.

Cupertino residents can register on this EventBrite page to enter for a chance to win environmental-themed prizes, including Yamagami's Garden Center gift cards, reusable items, and more.

Join our MC, Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action Team, to watch a wonderful line up of experts and champions speak about a variety of topics (specific times for each segment will be released the week of the event):

• Yoga in the Trees: Rachel Cruz, City of Cupertino
• Welcome: Mayor Darcy Paul
• Tree Talk with an Arborist: Cupertino’s City Trees Division
• Birding Basics – Find your Birds: Caroline Knight, Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society
• Keith’s Critters of McClellan Ranch: Keith Wandry, City of Cupertino
• The Wonders of Vermicomposting: Ariana Reyes, UCCE’s Composting Education Program
• The Unsustainable Roots of Fashion Today: Kestrel Jenkins, Conscious Chatter Podcast
• Journey to Zero Waste Living: Anne Marie, Zero Waste Chef
• Sustainable Career Pathways: Trish Kenlon, Sustainable Career Pathways and guests
• Environmental Research from Home Labs: Emily & Kyle Tianshi, Clearwater Innovation Founders
• Sustainability, Inclusion, and Youth Advocacy: Kelly Tung, Mira Wagner, June Wang, Avishi Trivedi, Zehra Naqvi, Youth Environmental Power Initiative
• Water Protection is for Everyone: Keith Wandry, City of Cupertino
• Induction Cooking Demonstration: Rachelle Boucher, Kitchens to Life; Meera Ramanathan, Sustainability Commissioner
• The Future of Green – All Electric and Clean Homes: Silicon Valley Clean Energy

The virtual celebration is sponsored by San Jose Water, Silicon Valley Clean Energy, and Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action.

Safe Routes to School's Earth Day Bike Challenge

In honor of Earth Day, Cupertino Safe Routes to School (SR2S) challenges you to reduce your carbon footprint by replacing a car trip with a bike trip from April 1 to April 22. Ride to the grocery store, coffee shop, bank, or any other trip you would typically drive to. Submit your trip one of two ways: via our club page on Strava or our photo submission form. Each trip you submit qualifies you to enter the Bike Challenge raffle to win an “I Bike Cupertino” t-shirt, SR2S mug, or a set of bike lights and bell. Learn more and join the challenge at cupertino.org/earthdaybikeride.

Celebrate Arbor Day with Interactive Scavenger Hunt

The TREEcycle Scavenger Hunt is an interactive way to explore Cupertino Parks, learn fun tree species facts, and challenge yourself to answer all the clues. This game is open from April 1 to April 22 to submit a photo and win a prize. Prize winners will be announced during the Earth and Arbor Day Speaker Series. Get started at Cupertino.org/TREEcycle.

“It was a great initiative to educate kids [and] promote healthy living by biking,” said a Cupertino resident after completing the TREEcycle Scavenger Hunt.

This mobile application and activity has been brought to life with support from the City's Public Works Department, Innovation and Technology Department, and City Manager’s Office.

Volunteer for Clean City, Green City

Enjoy the beautiful spring weather and clean up litter in your community. This litter cleanup is at your convenience to allow for social distance and flexibility. Learn more and take the pledge today to clean up your neighborhood in your spare time throughout the month of April. This is an opportunity brought to Cupertino in partnership with the AmeriCorps CivicSpark network. View the Clean City, Green City flier in the attachments.

Upcoming InfoTeeno: Mental Health Series

The Cupertino Youth Activity Board and the nonprofit Counseling and Support Services for Youth (CASSY) are pleased to bring a new InfoTeeno webinar series focused on mental health for both students and parents. On Monday, April 12 at 5 p.m. CASSY staff is leading an interactive presentation to give students important coping skills for periods of high stress and anxiety. Parents are invited to join the journey on Tuesday, April 13 at 6:30 p.m. where we will address the stigma surrounding mental health and empower families with knowledge on supporting students during their struggles. Participants can register by visiting bit.ly/infoteenomh.

Notable City Events

Rainbow-Colored Stripe Installed

The Public Works Department recently completed the installation of a rainbow pavement stripe across Stevens Creek Boulevard at Finch Avenue to align with the new crosswalk on the east side of the intersection. The pavement stripe is 12 inches wide and contains the colors of the rainbow, and is easily visible to pedestrians at the intersection.

The stripe is made of a thermoplastic material similar to that used for crosswalks, and is melted onto the pavement in order to withstand the wear caused by the high volume of traffic on Stevens Creek Boulevard.

Cupertino Residents Pledge to Keep Community Safe

Between March 1 and 31, the City of Cupertino and #CupertinoCares called on residents to sign a pledge and reaffirm their commitment to continue wearing masks, physically distance, wash their hands, avoid gatherings, and more.

The City received more than 425 pledges and each pledge received a family care package from the City. The care packages were distributed at a drive-thru style pickup at the Quinlan Community Center on April 8 and 9. Each box included four reusable face masks, keychain hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes, Heroes Wear Masks children's book, #CupertinoCares mug, and more.

Cupertino Rotary Club Honors City Staff

The Cupertino Rotary Kindness Counts Program chose to honor the employees of the City's Service Center in the Public Works Department last month. The Cupertino Rotary Club members wanted to honor Service Center employees because of their dedicated and skillful service in performing their duties to keep Cupertino a safe, well-functioning, environmentally-friendly, and attractive city - especially in light of the challenges brought on during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On March 25, Rotary Club members presented signs of appreciation and a delicious bounty of snacks and beverages which were enthusiastically enjoyed by staff. Rotary Club members also had the opportunity to interact with staff to learn more about the services performed by the City.

Cupertino Rotarians on hand to honor the staff at the Mary Avenue Service Center were: Angela Chen, Jim Davis, Jean Gasperini, Richard Lowenthal, Allan McCleod, Louisa Roberts, Alysa Sakkas, Kiran Varshneya, Hung Wei, and Judy Wilson.

Virtual Big Bunny 5K Draws Over 200 Participants

The 2021 Big Bunny 5K went virtual, and drew in over 200 people. Participants joined in from multiple cities and states across the U.S., including Las Vegas, Reno, and Minnesota. Each participant ran, walked, or hopped from their home, local park, or favorite trail between April 3 to 11. Each registration included a t-shirt, race bib, water bottle stickers, and bunny ears. Participants picked up their race packets at the Quinlan Community Center on April 1 and 2, or had their packets mailed to their homes.

Art in Unexpected Places

The Fine Arts Commission is pleased to announce the completion of the inaugural project of the Art in Unexpected Places program. This pilot program was created by the commission to beautify public spaces while surprising and delighting those passing by.

The commission also wanted to encourage the community to reflect on themes and imagery that represent the heritage, natural beauty, diversity, and creativity of our City. Artist Sarabjit Singh was chosen by the Fine Arts Commission to complete a mural at Blackberry Farm in early April.

Citywide Egg Hunt

The Cupertino Parks and Recreation Department hosted a Citywide Egg Hunt from March 22 to 26. Each day, a clue was posted on the Parks and Recreation Facebook page. These clues led participants to an egg at a Cupertino Park.

After finding the egg from the first clue, a second clue led to another egg in the same park. Whether participants found both eggs or only guessed the first one, they submitted an entry for a raffle.

At the end of the week, five lucky participants won a basket filled with supplies for an at-home egg hunt.

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

This April, Cupertino youth and teens are taking the lead! Share this issue with the teen in your life and read about self-care tips for teens, restoring the environment and this year's Earth Day Festivities, and hear directly from the teens shaping Cupertino's future. Read the April Scene at cupertino.org/scene.

Upcoming Agenda Items and Law Enforcement

View attachments here, which include the City Council agenda forecast through May 18 and the Sheriff’s weekly reports for March 22 – April 11.

cupertino.org