CALL TO ACTION: Request June Election for CCSGI. Wear RED to Attend March 1 Council Meeting

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CALL TO ACTION: Wear RED to attend March 1, 2016 Cupertino City Council Meeting.

REQUEST: Put CCSGI on June ballot.

Time & Location: 6:45pm Cupertino Community Hall (next to Cupertino Library), 10800 Torre Ave, Cupertino, CA 95014

Cupertino Citizens' Sensible Growth Initiative (CCSGI) is grateful for your outpouring support at the Feb. 2 Council meeting. Wonderful speeches by CCSGI supporters.
We will need your presence at the March 1, 2016 City Council meeting once more to give Cupertino voters a chance to have a frank and open discussion on CCSGI by putting it on June ballot, instead of November.

Although CCSG initiative qualifies for the next regular election, which June election, per California Election Code, the City of Cupertino won't put CCSGI on June election before the March 11 deadline.

Good News: The Registrar of Voters has completed the verification of all 4,204 petition signatures. The submitted petitions included 3,759 valid signatures, which is about 14% of registered voters, well over the minimum number required to qualify the CCSGI for the ballot.

Bad News: Per California Election Code, CCSGI qualifies for the municipal's next regular election, which is June election. But the City would only allow CCSGI to be put on Nov. election, by misinterpreting Cupertino Municipal Code for City Council general election as "regular election". The attorneys of CCSGI have written to point out that California Election Code does distinguish "general election" for electing representatives from "regular election".

The proponents of CCSGI felt compelled to submit the initiative because the Council has not done its job of openly communicating with its constituents on the direction of growth in Cupertino before rushing to make decisions that will have permanent negative impacts in the quality of life of everyone of its residents. Over 4000 residents rushed out to sign the petition for CCSGI in just 5 weeks because they felt the same way and want to join the conversation on growth. By pushing CCSGI to November election, the Council will once again prevent a chance for open communication with its constituents.

A decision on CCSGI will ensure a serious citywide discussion about growth and our City’s future. The appropriate time to have that discussion is this period leading up to the June ballot, when the distractions from all other local, state and national voting issues and candidates will be fewer.

Many Cupertino residents – we believe most – see the huge current and proposed projects as having a potentially profound negative impact on traffic, our schools, our neighborhoods and our community in general. With CCSGI we have done our part as responsible citizens to see that we have a community-wide discussion about what kind of Cupertino we want. The City should not put barriers in front of an open and frank exploration of these critically important questions during the period leading up to June election.

The CCSGI committee urges everyone to write to the Council at citycouncil@cupertino,org to clear the barriers for putting CCSGI on June election. Most importantly, the committee urges everyone to come to the Council meeting on Tuesday, March 1 to express the wishes of the people. Your physical presence tomorrow speaks plenty that Cupertino voters want to be heard in June.

Home Page: ccSensibleGrowth.org

Paid for by Committee supporting Cupertino Citizens' Sensible Growth Initiative, PO Box 1132, Cupertino, CA 95015, FPPC# 1381645.

DO NOT SIGN Developer's Petition for Oaks Initiative

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Stop Noncompliant Oversized Project by NOT Signing Developer’s Initiative

Cupertino voters beware. Signing the developer's petition for Oaks Shopping Center, rejected by the City Council, in fact help promote the developer's noncompliant oversized project. Some voters have been misled to think that signing the petition for the Oaks initiative would allow them to make decisions on Oaks. Don't fall for the developer's trap. Without enough signatures, Oaks won't be on the ballot and the project remains rejected.

However, in case the developer collected enough signatures, they would be able to place the Oaks project, which does not conform to the General Plan and many other requirements, onto the ballot for voters' approval. In addition, Oaks project will be able to by pass environmental review, mitigation for traffic, schools and other infrastructure, public hearings and approval by Planning Commission and the Council.

Please help forward this important note and the flyer below to your network of friends.

Oaks Flyer Version B - Oaks' Initiative and Summary.pdf

Here is a summary of the proposed Oaks plan for revitalization. 

Paid for by Committee supporting Cupertino Citizens' Sensible Growth Initiative, PO Box 1132, Cupertino, CA 95015, FPPC# 1381645.

Petition for Cupertino Citizens’ Sensible Growth Initiative is Submitted Four Months Ahead of Deadline

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It's official. The petition of Cupertino Citizens’ Sensible Growth Initiative (CCSGI) is submitted on Feb. 2 with 4198 signatures, 50% more than the minimum required.

A stream of passionate speakers from all around Cupertino spoke during Feb. 2 Cupertino City Council meeting in support of Cupertino Citizens’ Sensible Growth Initiative (CCSGI). The speakers urged the Council to put a moratorium on all amendments to the General Plan until CCSGI is put on the ballot for voters to decide. To reduce the period of uncertainty, CCSGI should be either adopted by the Council right away or be put on the ballot of the June election.

Video of Feb. 2 Council Meeting

Highlights:

• Time 17:40 - speech by a representative of Concerned Citizens of Cupertino (CCC): "90% of the voters approached signed the CCSGI petition. It's time that the Council listens to the voters and do what they want, not what the developers want."
• Time 21:45 - speech by a representative of Cupertino Citizens’ Sensible Growth Initiative (CCSGI). "In a city that's relatively apolitical, [the outpouring response to the initiative] is indicative of the level of outrage the citizens feel in the Council and the developers' attempt to turn Cupertino into an urban planning nightmare."
• Time 23:00 - speech by a representative of Cupertino Citizens’ Sensible Growth Initiative (CCSGI). "180 days is allowed for the initiative. We collected in 35 days. We could have kept collecting and gotten 8 or 10 thousand, but we didn't for a reason. We wanted to show how fast we can collect!"





Time 44:48 - speech by a former Sunnyvale Planning Commissioner - "The fact that there could be General Plan Amendments for individual developments is the wrong guidance to this town, is the wrong guidance to developers, and it certainly doesn't set the expectations correctly."
Time 57:10 - "Circulators collected 2000 signatures in the last week." "The initiative itself is not pro- or anti-growth. The initiative gives the people power to decide the direction of growth in Cupertino. The initiative would not freeze Vallco. A reasonable amount of mixed use at Vallco is possible as long as the people approve. If the majority of people would like Vallco to stay retail only, Vallco should stay retail only."

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Press Release: Petition for Cupertino Citizens’ Sensible Growth Initiative is Submitted Four Months Ahead of Deadline

The Committee supporting Cupertino Citizens’ Sensible Growth Initiative announces the delivery of over 4,000 signatures gathered from Cupertino voters to the Office of the City Clerk of Cupertino on Tuesday, February 2, 2016.

The Committee is deeply gratified by the tremendous reception the Cupertino Citizens’ Sensible Growth Initiative has received from Cupertino voters. The Committee recognizes our determined community members who made it possible to collect the signatures required to qualify the Initiative for the ballot in 2016. More than 4,000 signatures were collected in just five weeks—four months ahead of the 180-day petition-circulation deadline. This rapid pace of signature collection is a testament to community support for the Initiative. The Committee offers appreciation and thanks to everyone who volunteered time, donated money, or shared encouraging words with our petition circulators.

The Initiative’s proponents and supporters recognize that Cupertino and nearby neighborhoods are under tremendous pressure to build very large projects that are not suitable to the suburban character of the region. The developers of these over-sized projects are not responsible for funding the infrastructure improvements that will be required to maintain the favorable quality of life the residents in the region value today. These essential improvements include water supplies and infrastructure, sewer infrastructure, closed-path transit (including BART), a sufficient number of affordable housing units, and school facilities.

The passage of the Cupertino Citizens’ Sensible Growth Initiative is one way to ensure that projects built in Cupertino will meet the needs and requirements of a majority of voters in Cupertino. When adopted, the Initiative will change the way the developers plan for projects they will bring to Cupertino and the standards the City will apply uniformly to those projects.

The Initiative promotes development projects that are suitable to the characteristics of the City and discourages projects that do not fit within the guidelines of the General Plan.

Major Provisions of Cupertino Citizens’ Sensible Growth Initiative include:

• Control the density of new development to ensure that projects fit with the City’s infrastructure by maintaining limits on building heights, setbacks, lot coverage and building planes.
• Affirm that the land within the Vallco Shopping District will be used for major retail, entertainment, dining, and hotels.
• Require that proposed changes or exceptions to the building limits and land uses described in the Initiative will not be enacted unless first approved by Cupertino voters.

Visit www.CCSensibleGrowth.org to learn more about the Initiative, find out about future events, and donate to support the passage of the Initiative in 2016.

Paid for by Committee supporting Cupertino Citizens' Sensible Growth Initiative, PO Box 1132, Cupertino, CA 95015, FPPC# 1381645.

Wear RED to Attend Feb. 2 Council meeting - GPA on Oaks and Goodyear Tire

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Wear RED to attend Feb. 2 Council meeting to support the initiative and hear a big surprise announcement about the initiative.

Location: Community Hall (next to the library)

Time: 6:45pm, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016

On Tuesday, February 2, the Cupertino City Council will consider requests to amend the General Plan for the Oaks Shopping Center and the Goodyear Tire location for double building heights and other exceptions on setbacks, building planes and open space. The committee supporting Cupertino Citizens' Sensible Zoning Initiative (CCSGI) urges all residents of Cupertino to attend this Feb. 2 Council meeting wearing RED to oppose any General Plan Amendment for specific projects before the CCSGI is put on the ballot for the voters to decide.

Through Christmas and New Year vacation and rainy El Nino January winter season), CCSGI circulators collected more than expected number of signatures. The voters of Cupertino have spoken. They want a say in the future direction of development in Cupertino. Those who signed the petition thanked the circulators (all volunteers) for their dedication for braving such cold weather. Some even hugged the circulators to show their appreciation.

The initiative is a wake-up call for the city to listen to the residents and fully engage with residents for important decisions that affect our lives.
Wear RED to say STOP any more General Plan Amendment for specific projects, like Oaks and Goodyear Tire.
Wear RED to say STOP to uncontrolled development.
Wear RED to say STOP ignoring the residents' voices and concerns.

Wear RED to support the initiative.

LET VOTERS DECIDE.  WE LIVE HERE!

Home page: ccSensibleGrowth.org

Blog: BetterCupertino.blogspot.com

Paid for by Committee supporting Cupertino Citizens' Sensible Growth Initiative, PO Box 1132, Cupertino, CA 95015, FPPC# 1381645.

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More project details about Oaks Shopping Center (near 85, across from De Anza College) and Goodyear Tire (next to Cupertino Inn, near 280/De Anza)

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On Tuesday, February 2, the Cupertino City Council will consider requests to amend the General Plan for the Oaks Shopping Center and the Goodyear Tire location. 

• Oaks Shopping Center – Height up to 88 feet (7 stories). 280,000 sq. ft. office + 200-room hotel + 270 apartments + 47,660 sq. ft. retail. Requesting exceptions for heights, setbacks, building planes, open space, and parking spaces. (retail ≈7.6% of the proposed project)

• Goodyear Tire -- Height up to 104 feet (8 stories). 270 hotel rooms + 5,727 sq. ft. conference/banquet room.

Goodyear Tire requests an exception to the height limit of 45 feet to accommodate a structure 104 feet tall. The Oaks requests exceptions to the General Plan, Specific Plan, and Municipal Code. Here is a subset of the exceptions requested:

- increase building height from 45 feet to 88 feet.

- add office use from 0 square feet to 280,000 square feet. (Current zoning does not include office use.)

- reduce the requirement for common landscaped open space for residential use from 70-80% to 30%.

- reduce setback and increase slope of the building plane on all sides of the project.

- reduce parking spaces to 60% of what is required under the Municipal Code.

Here is Cupertino City Council agenda item to consider the developer-requested amendments to the General Plan for the Oaks Shopping Center and the Goodyear Tire location:
https://cupertino.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=2558698&GUID=1EE1D7B9-F7A2-497D-B765-E6E08361791E&Options=&Search=

Find additional project information here: GPA Authorization, First Cycle 2016.

ccSensibleGrowth.org

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Sign the Petition NOW! Let Voters Decide! --- Oaks on Feb. 2 Council Agenda

ccSensibleGrowth.org

Cupertino voters have responded to the Cupertino Citizens' Sensible Growth Initiative (CCSGI) with vigorous enthusiasm! The collected signature total grows substantially everyday. Meanwhile, developers are lining up with their over-sized projects to request amendments (exceptions) to the General Plan. Two such projects will be on the Cupertino City Council agenda this Tuesday, February 2. More developers will request amendments to the General Plan for their over-sized projects in May 2016. 

The sooner we collect enough signatures to qualify CCSGI for the ballot, the sooner Cupertino voters can approve the initiative. And finally, the sooner Cupertino voters can have their say as to whether or not each over-sized project will be built in Cupertino.

Help us qualify the Initiative for the ballot NOW!

Alert your Cupertino family members, friends, and colleagues to sign the Initiative petition by Sunday, January 31.

Opportunities to sign the Initiative petition this weekend include:

• Friday, January 29, 8-9 p.m. at the Cupertino Sports Center, 21111 Stevens Creek Blvd.  (Note NEW location!)

• Saturday, January 30, 12-6 p.m. at the Cupertino Library, 10800 Torre Ave.  (Note EXPANDED hours!)

• Sunday Jan. 31, 12-6 p.m. at the Cupertino Liibrary (Note EXPANDED hours!)

The only way to sign the Initiative petition is in-person and in the presence of a trained petition circulator. Signing an online petition will not help qualify the Cupertino Citizens' Sensible Growth Initiative for the ballot. Citizens can register to vote at RegisterToVote.ca.gov. After registering to vote, come sign the Initiative petition at one of our signature collection locations this weekend.

Here is an updated flyer with project information for pending development projects at Vallco, the Oaks Shopping Center (near Highway 85 on Stevens Creek Blvd), and the Goodyear Tire location (near the Cupertino Inn):

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7RMc9DXGhUANVJWMFdRR05OUEk/view?usp=sharing (PDF)

On Tuesday, February 2, the Cupertino City Council will consider requests to amend the General Plan for the Oaks Shopping Center and the Goodyear Tire location.

• Oaks Shopping Center – Height up to 88 feet (7 stories). 280,000 sq. ft. office + 200-room hotel + 270 apartments + 47,660 sq. ft. retail. Requesting exceptions for heights, setbacks, building planes, open space, and parking spaces. (retail ≈7.6% of the proposed project)

• Goodyear Tire -- Height up to 104 feet (8 stories). 270 hotel rooms + 5,727 sq. ft. conference/banquet room.

Goodyear Tire requests an exception to the height limit of 45 feet to accommodate a structure 104 feet tall. The Oaks requests exceptions to the General Plan, Specific Plan, and Municipal Code. Here is a subset of the exceptions requested:

- increase building height from 45 feet to 88 feet.

- add office use from 0 square feet to 280,000 square feet. (Current zoning does not include office use.)

- reduce the requirement for common landscaped open space for residential use from 70-80% to 30%.

- reduce setback and increase slope of the building plane on all sides of the project.

- reduce parking spaces to 60% of what is required under the Municipal Code.

Here is Cupertino City Council agenda item to consider the developer-requested amendments to the General Plan for the Oaks Shopping Center and the Goodyear Tire location:
https://cupertino.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=2558698&GUID=1EE1D7B9-F7A2-497D-B765-E6E08361791E&Options=&Search=

Find additional project information here: GPA Authorization, First Cycle 2016.

Committee supporting Cupertino Citizens' Sensible Growth Initiative

Home page: ccSensibleGrowth.org
Latest News: BetterCupertino.blogspot.com

Paid for by Committee supporting Cupertino Citizens' Sensible Growth Initiative, PO Box 1132, Cupertino, CA 95015, FPPC# 1381645.

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LET VOTERS DECIDE.  WE LIVE HERE!

Cupertino Citizens' Sensible Growth Initiative is ready for signatures (CCSensibleGrowth.org)

Cupertino Citizens' Sensible Growth Initiative is ready for signatures (CCSensibleGrowth.org)

Petition Signing and Information Booth:

Time: 12 pm to 2 pm
Date: Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Location: Cupertino Library at the entrance plaza, 10800 Torre Ave, Cupertino, CA 95014
(Check the website for more locations and times for information booth.)

The petition is ready for signatures! Our team put in the final touch to improve the readability while following all legal guidelines after many revisions.

Help qualify the initiative for the 2016 ballot. Volunteer to be a signature gatherer (circulator).
Donate to help pay the legal fees and help reach out to more voters.

Any one who is at least 18 years old and a citizen or a permanent resident (green card) qualifies to gather signatures from voters who are registered to vote in Cupertino. There is no residency requirement for signature gatherers.

Committee Supporting Cupertino Citizens' Sensible Growth Initiative, PO Box 1132, Cupertino, CA 95015. FPPC #1381645

Cupertino Citizens' Sensible Growth Initiative: Power to the People

Cupertino Citizens' Sensible Growth Initiative is online.
http://www.ccsensiblegrowth.org/

This is our chance to bring some sense into the frenzy development boom and to reinstate true democracy in Cupertino. Voters speak up.

Get Information about the Petition:

Join us at the Cupertino Library, on Sunday, December 20, 2015 to get more information about the petition for the Cupertino Citizens’ Sensible Growth initiative!

Help qualify the initiative for the 2016 ballot. Volunteer to be a signature gatherer (circulator).
Donate to help reach out to more voters.
Any one who is at least 18 years old and a citizen or a permanent resident (green card) qualifies to gather signatures from voters who are registered to vote in Cupertino. There is no residency requirement for signature gatherers

Time: 12 pm to 2 pm

Date: Sunday, December 20, 2015

Location: Cupertino Library at the entrance plaza, 10800 Torre Ave, Cupertino, CA 95014

Note: Due to some technical difficulties, the petitions won't be ready for signatures this weekend.

Sign up online at http://www.ccsensiblegrowth.org if you want to be notified of future signature gathering events or want to volunteer to help gather signatures.Join us at the Cupertino Library, on Sunday, December 20, 2015 to sign the petition for the Cupertino Citizens’ Sensible Growth initiative!

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Why should residents support an initiative to ensure sensible growth in Cupertino?

By Committee Supporting Cupertino Citizens' Sensible Growth Initiative

http://www.mercurynews.com/cupertino/ci_29265009/commentary-why-should-residents-support-an-initiative-ensure

The city of Cupertino is under constant pressure from developers to amend its General Plan. Developers push to increase building heights and densities and to change land use. Currently, development projects only need to appeal to the majority of city council members.

Amendments to the General Plan are changing Cupertino. The city is losing its pleasant suburban character. Cupertino will be indistinguishable from other densely populated communities, except Cupertino will be without the infrastructure required to support intensive development. The city lacks sites for new schools, lacks parks and recreational facilities and lacks sufficient road capacity to handle increased pedestrian, bicycle, and motor vehicle traffic safely.

The Cupertino Citizens' Sensible Growth Initiative would do the following:

- Control the density of new development to ensure that projects fit with the city's infrastructure by maintaining citywide limits on building heights, setbacks and building planes.
- Affirm that the land within the Vallco Shopping District will be used for major retail, entertainment, dining, and hotels.
- Require that proposed changes or exceptions to the building limits and land uses described in the initiative will not be enacted unless first approved by Cupertino voters.

The initiative is a follow-the-law initiative, or more specifically, a follow-the-General Plan initiative. Amendments to the General Plan are intended to be rare because the General Plan is the long-term guide for the city's future.

The initiative intends to change the way the developers plan for projects they will bring to Cupertino. The initiative promotes development projects that are suitable to the characteristics of the city and discourages projects that do not fit within the guidelines of the General Plan.

As supporters of the Cupertino Citizens' Sensible Growth Initiative, we advocate sensible growth. We advocate growth that considers the impact of major housing and office developments on the existing infrastructure. Sensible growth requires that major housing and office developments will be accompanied by sufficient schools, parks and transportation to meet the needs of Cupertino's residents. We believe the passage of the Cupertino Citizens' Sensible Growth Initiative is essential to ensure a future of sensible growth in Cupertino.

Soon, we will start to collect signatures to qualify the Cupertino Citizens' Sensible Growth Initiative for the ballot in 2016.

For more information about the initiative, including: where to sign a petition, how to volunteer to collect petition signatures or how to donate money to support the initiative effort, visit CCSensibleGrowth.org.
The Committee Supporting Cupertino Citizens' Sensible Growth Initiative's FPPC# 1381645.