City of Sunnyvale City Council Councilmember Larry Klein

Sunnyvale’s first direct election for mayor, held Nov. 3, 2020, was a tight three-way race, with winner Larry Klein pulling in just 36.05 percent of the vote. Klein, who was appointed mayor by his fellow councilmembers in 2019, triumphed over two of his colleagues: Nancy Smith and Michael Goldman.

One priority for the newly elected mayor is supporting Sunnyvale restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic—literally, and in person. According to the Mercury News, as of December 2019, “Klein had visited 175 restaurants, coffee shops and food trucks in Sunnyvale, to shine a spotlight on them in hopes that they will attract more takeout and delivery customers so they could keep their doors open.” To read more about Klein’s culinary adventures, visit Klein’s website.

“The feedback from residents was positive, so I started to do a daily restaurant review,” Klein told the Mercury News. “It’s been a great project, and I’m actually happy to see the number of restaurants that have survived. It’s also opened my eyes to certain areas of the city that I rarely went.”

First elected: November 2020

Day job: Director of program management, Qnovo Corporation

Alma mater: University of Southern California (bachelor’s degree, computer science)

Notable quote: Speaking with Silicon Valley Voice about Sunnyvale’s Climate Action Playbook, Klein said, “We’re experiencing more severe threats from climate change, including devastating wildfires and unprecedented floods. Collective local action and teamwork between the City and community is needed to cut back our emissions. With the adoption of this Playbook and ambitious targets to aspire to, our community is poised and ready for kick off.”

Other offices held: Sunnyvale City Councilmember and Planning Commissioner (find more information here)