TWO OPPOSING CANDIDATE duos are trying to nab the two available Cupertino City Council seats to have power over one of the city’s most divisive issues — development.
Councilmember Kitty Moore and former Planning Commissioner R “Ray” Wang, want to flip the existing development-friendly council majority, while Councilmember Hung Wei and former Mayor Rod Sinks want to keep the pro-development stronghold. Both groups want to mold their vision of how one of Cupertino’s most controversial and largest housing projects, The Rise on the former Vallco Mall site, will be developed. The project has sparked ongoing controversy for about a decade.
Wei and Moore are up for reelection, creating the opportunity for either camp to snag the majority. Wei, Mayor Sheila Mohan and Vice Mayor J.R. Fruen hold the existing majority that has often led to a 3-2 split on development and housing issues, with Moore and Councilmember Liang Chao in the minority.
The candidate duos are a unique factor this election and could impact the results. Other candidates include Parks and Recreation Commissioner Claudio Bono and former Mayors Gilbert Wong and Barry Chang, who are also somewhat development-friendly.
Wei and Sinks
Wei and Sinks are running their campaigns on getting The Rise done, something Sinks said has resonated with voters tired of seeing an empty lot for years. He doesn’t believe the council majority will change.
“I think that Cupertino voters are buying the message that it’s time for Vallco to move forward, and Kitty and Ray have done everything they’ve been able to do to oppose any real opportunity for Vallco to be redeveloped,” Sinks told San José Spotlight.
The Rise developer, Sand Hill Property Company, plans to add nearly 2,700 homes, including 890 affordable homes, along with 1.95 million square feet of office space. Both candidates have weighed in on the project during their time on the dais and supported most of its aspects.
Wei and Sinks’ candidacy is complicated by Wei’s diagnosis with stage four lung cancer. The councilmember briefly suspended her campaign last month to focus on her health before reentering the race about a week later. She is seeking medical treatment in Taiwan, where she has family, with the election just weeks away. She said she’s been able to manage her health and council responsibilities, adding her passion for Cupertino is stronger than ever.
“The current majority understands the need for balanced development that benefits everyone in Cupertino, not just a select few.” Councilmember Hung Wei
“It’s important that the majority be sustained because we have been able to move forward on key issues such as housing, climate initiatives and community services,” Wei told San José Spotlight. “The current majority understands the need for balanced development that benefits everyone in Cupertino, not just a select few.”
The last time the council majority flipped was in 2022 when voters elected Fruen and Mohan. They have made the council more development-friendly.
Sandhana Siva, board member of pro-housing group Cupertino for All, is worried the council could flip again because she’s seen Moore and Wang’s message resonate with the older and first-generation Asian population. Approximately 70.2% of Cupertino’s population identifies as Asian, according to 2020 U.S. Census data.
Siva said she still thinks Wei and Sinks, who are endorsed by Cupertino for All, can win. She said Wei’s diagnosis could impact votes, but Wei’s decision to reenter the race shows her resilience.
“(Anti-development people) have stagnated the amount of development and the amount of progress the city council could have,” Siva told San José Spotlight. “It’s been detrimental before and we need to change what the previous majority has done.”
Moore and Wang
Moore and Wang are running their campaigns on the idea of putting residents first through scrutinizing developments like The Rise for the environmental issues it could cause. They say they’re not anti-development, but rather want more transparency and resident input on bigger projects.
Moore and Wang said they want to hold developers accountable for affordable housing, rather than allowing them to pay an in-lieu fee to avoid building them, something they’ve said other candidates have mentioned.
“It’s interesting that we’re considered against housing (because) it’s like, no (we’re not),” Moore told San José Spotlight.
Moore said it’s important to flip the existing council majority because while she’s been part of the voting minority, she hasn’t felt like she’s had room to fully dissect issues.
Wang said Moore and Chao ask important questions, but aren’t heard. They are supported by historically anti-development group Better Cupertino, who didn’t respond to requests for comment. Wang said he and Moore aren’t extreme in the negative way opponents have painted them.
“(We’re) extremely resident focused. We’ll take that label. … And if that is seen as extreme, then I would say, I wouldn’t apologize for it.” R “Ray” Wang, council candidate and former Planning Commissioner
“(We’re) extremely resident focused. We’ll take that label,” Wang told San José Spotlight. “I think that’s the important part, we’re here for the residents. And if that is seen as extreme, then I would say, I wouldn’t apologize for it.”
Moore and Wang said they wish Wei well, but think her health could impact the votes she gets.
Cupertino resident Sashi Begur, who’s lived in the city since 1996, said she used to vote for candidates such as Sinks and Chang. She now supports Wang and Moore after she looked more into city policy. She said city politics are so split because of the important issues at hand.
“We’re not divisive for the sake of being divisive,” Begur told San José Spotlight. “We’re saying, ‘Hey, we have rights. We are the taxpayers. We need to understand what is going on. Give us the transparency.’”
Contact Annalise Freimarck at annalise@sanjosespotlight.com or follow @annalise_ellen on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This story originally appeared in San Jose Spotlight.