City of Sunnyvale Government News Digest

Sunnyvale has a new plan for creating a mixed-use community on the 1,300 acres in the northern area of the city known as Moffett Park. The council adopted a new Moffett Park Specific Plan at its July 11 meeting to guide development over the next 20 years.

Downtown Sunnyvale is getting a new look, thanks to three major building projects that have all been approved. The new construction will create highrise housing and more business space.

Do you want to visit Disneyland’s Tomorrowland without the expense and trouble of an airplane flight? Then visit Sunnyvale’s new City Hall.

City departments will begin moving into Sunnyvale’s new city hall, a 117,107-square-foot building at the intersection of El Camino Real and South Mathilda Avenue, beginning March 16.

It’s crows 1, Sunnyvale 0, after the city axed its green laser pilot program last month after the murder of crows plaguing downtown residents caught on that the shiny, blinding light poses no real threat.

A portion of South Murphy Avenue in downtown Sunnyvale is one step closer to being permanently closed to vehicle traffic after the council voted Feb. 7 to convert the area into a pedestrian mall.

Christine L. Velasquez has been named Sunnyvale’s economic development manager, effective Feb. 9. Velasquez has more than 20 years of public and private sector experience.

Apparently being the happiest city in America a hotly contested race, with multiple research organizations making their calls on which municipality deserves the crown. In a SmartAsset survey, Sunnyvale makes the grade.

Sunnyvale’s environmentally conscious and modern City Hall building is nearing completion. The four-story, 120,000-square-foot building is expected to produce enough clean energy to power itself, and could be ready for move-in by March.

The Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety will increase patrols throughout the community and provide other traffic safety programs to help reduce the number of serious injuries and deaths on roads.

Nearly two months after Election Day, on Jan. 3, the last of the region’s unresolved races reached a conclusion in Sunnyvale when the names of two candidates were put into a tote bag and one was randomly chosen by the city clerk. A couple of weeks earlier, in Richmond, another tied race was decided by the luck of the draw.

Nearly two months after election day, a winner has finally been named in Sunnyvale’s District 3 race. Until Jan. 3, the race was locked in a tie between Murali Srinivasan and Justin Wang.

“In the event of a tie, the City selects the winner by lot,” said Sunnyvale Communications Officer Jennifer Garnett. “This means we will put the candidates’ names into a container and draw one name to determine the winner.”

After a nearly five-day recount and ballot review process, the extraordinary race for a Sunnyvale District 3 City Council seat is now tied.

Murali Srinivasan won the race for the open District 3 Sunnyvale City Council seat by the slimmest of margins: a single vote. Srinivasan received 2,813 out of 5,625 votes, while opponent Justin Wang received 2,812 votes.

“This vigil is not a victory lap; it is a call to action,” said Sunnyvale Vice Mayor Alysa Cisneros at the city’s Solidarity Vigil Against Hate on Nov. 15. “We will have created a culture of belonging, when every person feels safe, included, heard and respected.”

Artist Woody De Othello’s bronze “Fountain” has been placed at the intersection of McKinley and Murphy in Sunnyvale; the giant stylized spigots implicitly refer to California drought and growing water shortages around the world.

When the Metropolitan Transportation Commission board of directors met last month to endorse rail projects for federal grants, one Peninsula city was left out. Palo Alto did not get any projects on the regional agency's list.

Former Sunnyvale Mayor Anthony Spitaleri was chosen to serve the remainder of former councilmember Mason Fong’s term. Spitaleri will fill Seat 3 until Jan. 3, 2023.

On Jan. 27, Sunnyvale city leaders joined developers to break ground on the Cityline Block 3 North office project in downtown Sunnyvale. The development will be on the site of the former Macy’s, which was demolished late last year.

Mason Fong is resigning from the Sunnyvale City Council for a job in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office. Fong, who was elected in 2018, will serve as the governor’s deputy director of external affairs for northern California.

On July 31, about 40 bicyclists hit the road to raise support for continuous bike lanes along El Camino Real—a 6.5-mile ride from Santa Clara to Sunnyvale organized by the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition. Both cities support lanes, but bike advocates seek seamless protection with no on-street parking.

The completed bulldozing of the four-decades-old Macy’s department store makes way for retail and office space—and a public area called Redwood Square, bordered by existing trees.

In May, Sunnyvale unveiled the Moffett Park Specific Plan, a scheme to turn an area near the federal airport into a new district with office development, R&D parks and some 18,500 housing units. Jacob Bourne of the Silicon Valley Voice studies the plan. While downtown San Jose’s Google campus is better known, this district will be more than ten times its size.

The City of Sunnyvale hosted a forum and solidarity event on April 7 to support the Asian American Pacific Islander community.