City of Cupertino Cupertino City Council Councilmember J.R. Fruen

In the 2022 election, J.R. Fruen mounted an energetic campaign for City Council, positioning his grassroots group Cupertino for All in opposition to the Better Cupertino slate that has been a dominant force in Cupertino politics. In the tight campaign with eight hopefuls running for three seats, Fruen came in third and secured one of the at-large seeks—and made history as Cupertino’s first openly gay councilmember.

Fruen’s family came to the Santa Clara Valley in 1952. After graduating from UCLA, he returned home and started his own practice as an attorney. He outlines his ambitious priorities on his campaign site, JR4Cupertino.com, addressing transparency on how tax dollars are spent, addressing the housing crunch by “growing the right way,” mitigating traffic, supporting schools, and “restoring our reputation and partnerships.” 

Notable quote: “You can’t win unless you run. [My win] hopefully will demonstrate to other people who might have been concerned that they couldn’t win just because of their sexual orientation or gender identity that no, that’s maybe not true.” (Source: San Jose Spotlight)