Cupertino candidates run as slate in bid for council majority

Three Cupertino City Council 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.

While candidates often align with similar political views, running together for office as a slate is unusual.

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’s canvassing kickoff event at Wilson Park.

“The 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?” Lindskog said in an interview. “How do we build housing for young families?”

Up for election in November are three of the five council seats. Fruen is seeking re-election, and Vice Mayor Liang Chao is termed out. Councilmember Sheila Mohan is not seeking another term and is supporting the Cupertino Together slate.

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.

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.

Pointing to the 2022 election, Fruen said the council alignment that followed helped advance housing and fiscal issues before the balance shifted again after the 2024 election.

Fruen and Mohan won seats in 2022, while Chao was re-elected.

“We’ve known each other for years and we like each other,” Tang said of his fellow Cupertino Together candidates. “We need a majority vote for our vision to come true.”

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.

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’s deputy director of water resources.

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.

They support “missing middle” options such as duplexes and triplexes and want to streamline the permitting process.

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.

“I’ve watched a whole lot of difficult decisions in Cupertino become intractable problems,” Fruen said, citing the Vallco development, community benefits that have yet to materialize and turnover among top city staff.

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 and other residents in a lawsuit challenging the city’s approval of the project.

Construction is now underway at the more than 50-acre site. The Rise is expected to include 2,669 housing units, along with retail and office space.

Lindskog echoed Fruen’s frustration about council divisions.

“We’ve been watching this city make decisions for the past decade that divide residents against residents, that are more about what we don’t want in Cupertino and less about what we do,” she said.

Lindskog said Cupertino lacks a strong five- or 10-year plan to build its economic base. Economic development is another focus of the slate.

“We need to grow our city’s tax revenue and diversify our tax revenue,” she said.

Lindskog said attracting more small and midsize businesses to Cupertino would help diversify the city’s tax base. She also supports making permitting easier for businesses, including for outdoor dining and live music.

Public safety is another priority for the slate. Cupertino contracts with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement services. The county’s latest proposal would raise the city’s annual cost for these services from about $19 million to $25.4 million, according to the city.

Tang said the five-year contract is difficult to budget because there is no cap on future increases.

The candidates also want to improve street safety and emergency preparedness. Lindskog called for updating the city’s evacuation plan, which she said is outdated.

“We need to rebuild trust with the community and our stakeholders,” Tang said. “I want to see Cupertino as a world-class city.”

As the Nov. 3 election approaches, the slate has received endorsements from community members, state Sen. Josh Becker, Santa Clara County Supervisor Margaret Abe-Koga, the Santa Clara County Firefighters and other organizations.