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\n\t\t\t\t\tA canvassing kickoff event for Cupertino Together drew about 60 people to Wilson Park in Cupertino last month. In an unusual move, three of the eight candidates for Cupertino City Council are running as a slate to fill the three seats up for election on Nov. 3 on the five-member council. (Photo by Gary Magill at Gary Magill Videography)<\/p>\n
Three Cupertino City Council<\/a> candidates are campaigning together in an effort to win a majority and advance a shared vision for city leadership, fiscal and economic growth, housing and public safety.<\/p>\n While candidates often align with similar political views, running together for office as a slate is unusual.<\/p>\n Councilmember J.R. Fruen, Cupertino Planning Commissioner Seema Sharma Lindskog and John Tang joined forces as a slate through Cupertino Together in April. In August, more than 60 supporters attended the group\u2019s canvassing kickoff event at Wilson Park.<\/p>\n \u201cThe current council is not focused on the big issues affecting our city, like how do we build more tax revenue and put our city on strong financial footing?\u201d Lindskog said in an interview. \u201cHow do we build housing for young families?\u201d<\/p>\n Up for election in November are three of the five council seats. Fruen is seeking re-election, and Vice Mayor Liang Chao<\/a> is termed out. Councilmember Sheila Mohan is not seeking another term and is supporting the Cupertino Together slate.<\/p>\n Also running for the three at-large seats are Planning Commissioner Tracy Kosolcharoen, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Gopal Kumarappan, J.Z. Wang, Planning Commissioner Santosh Rao and Mark Fantozzi.<\/p>\n Fruen, Lindskog and Tang are seeking the three votes needed for a council majority, which Fruen said would allow them to move forward on their shared policy priorities.<\/p>\n Pointing to the 2022 election<\/a>, Fruen said the council alignment that followed helped advance housing and fiscal issues before the balance shifted again after the 2024 election<\/a>.<\/p>\n Fruen and Mohan won seats in 2022, while Chao was re-elected.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve known each other for years and we like each other,\u201d Tang said of his fellow Cupertino Together candidates. \u201cWe need a majority vote for our vision to come true.\u201d<\/p>\n Fruen is an attorney and lifelong Cupertino resident. Lindskog, a nearly 20-year resident, is a former senior marketing executive who chairs Walk Bike Cupertino.<\/p>\n Tang, a longtime resident and former Chamber of Commerce president, spent more than 20 years as a public affairs executive at San Jose Water and now serves as San Jose\u2019s deputy director of water resources.<\/p>\n Housing is among their priorities. Cupertino is home to about 60,000 residents, but the candidates said high housing costs make it difficult for young adults and families to remain in the city.<\/p>\n They support \u201cmissing middle\u201d options such as duplexes and triplexes and want to streamline the permitting process.<\/p>\n Fruen said councilmembers are supposed to set policy and leave implementation to experts, but divisions on the council have made it difficult to prioritize what needs to be done.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve watched a whole lot of difficult decisions in Cupertino become intractable problems,\u201d Fruen said, citing the Vallco development, community benefits that have yet to materialize and turnover among top city staff.<\/p>\n Plans to transform the former Vallco Mall site into a mixed-use neighborhood have been in the works for nearly a decade. In 2018, current Mayor Kitty Moore joined Friends of Better Cupertino<\/a> and other residents in a lawsuit challenging the city\u2019s approval of the project.<\/p>\n