The Sunnyvale City Council is about to see a demographic shift that will make its representation more reflective of the city’s population.
The city will have a female majority on council with the election of Eileen Le in District 6 and Charlsie Chang in District 4, along with Councilmember Alysa Cisneros’ reelection in District 2 and sitting Councilmember Linda Sell. The city will also have its first Asian American majority, with Le and Chang alongside Sell and Vice Mayor Murali Srinivasan bringing a new dimension to the council.
Based on the 2020 census, Sunnyvale has a population of 155,805, and about half the population is Asian American. The city council hasn’t had a female majority since the 1990s, when Mayor Patricia Castillo, Vice Mayor Robin Parker and Councilmembers Frances Rowe and Barbara Waldman served.
“The more diversity you have on council, the more you can be reflective of the wider community, and then your decisions will be representative of that diversity,” Sell told San José Spotlight.
She said switching to district elections made running for city council more accessible, and is likely the reason the city’s elected officials have been more diverse in the past few years.
Making elections more accessible helped the city reach multiple demographic milestones. Not only was Sell the first Asian American woman on the city council when voters elected her in 2022, Srinivasan also became the first Indian American on the council that year.
Having diverse backgrounds brings a wider range of perspectives and experiences, Sell said, which helps the council make more rounded policy decisions. For example, she pointed to discussions around Sunnyvale joining the Silicon Valley Hopper ride-share service. After the idea was circulated, advocates from different groups, ranging from the Sunnyvale Downtown Business Association to Fremont High School students, spoke in support of the program. Sunnyvale secured a $4 million state grant last month to join the program.
Le said she hopes the shift on the council can be beneficial in multiple ways. Le and Chang are both in their 30s, which is the predominant age demographic in Sunnyvale, according to the 2020 census.
This lends itself to various policy priorities, as Le said she wants to help make the city more accessible to families.
“There’s a demographic shift within my district (at) the mobile home parks I live near. It used to be exclusively senior housing, but that shifted to include families somewhat recently,” Le told San José Spotlight. “We do need to make this a place where families can thrive and (for) people of all ages.”
Mayor Larry Klein said in his eight years in city government, bringing more perspectives to council has helped advance policies supporting the greater population. One example is the creation of the Housing and Human Services Commission, which reviews policies relating to housing and supportive services.
Other programs include the city’s use of Wordly, an artificial intelligence translation software, during public meetings and an outreach program to homeless residents, which includes a mobile shower and laundry services.
Klein said he expects the next council to continue the city’s trend toward more progressive policies, especially compared to priorities when he was first elected. He hopes the increased diversity will bring ideas for how to improve the city and support residents from more perspectives.
Chang said although councilmembers have different expertise, their priorities are similar.
“In some ways it’ll be the same, because Sunnyvale’s already been leading in a lot of these issues, but in other ways we might want to push faster,” Chang told San José Spotlight.
Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at sakura@sanjosespotlight.com or @SakuCannestra on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This story originally appeared in San José Spotlight.