In a measured State of the City speech that came as Cupertino stares down mounting financial issues, Mayor Kitty Moore offered a vision for a city that called for navigating rough waters through rigorous and transparent governing.
“The state of our city is resilient, disciplined and forward looking,” said Moore. “We are not without challenges … But we also have remarkable strengths.”
Since Moore was appointed in December, the city has grappled with a growing and ongoing set of fiscal pressures, including an impending overhaul of its city hall, a huge cut in tax revenue from Apple and a sharp hike in the cost of its contract with the county sheriff’s office.
Even before Moore spoke, that issue seemed present in the room, with representatives from the Sheriff’s department speaking in an apparent show of unity amid ongoing negotiations between Cupertino and the county. “We are very proud of the services that we provide, (the) collaboration that we have with the city,” said Undersheriff Michael Doty speaking of “continuing to work together … to ensure that this city remains safe.”
Towards the beginning of her remarks and throughout the speech, Moore spoke clearly about the obstacles facing the city. Fiscal challenges placed “tension between what we want to do and what we can afford to do” said Moore, acknowledging that regional and state pressures could affect the city’s ability to afford services or require exploring future tax measures.
She described Cupertino as an economic engine for the region that gave out millions more in taxes than it received.
Moore also painted a stark picture of California’s growing slate of increasingly rigorous policy intent on addressing the state’s housing crisis, arguing that local control had been “supplanted by a reign of ever-changing state laws” mandating more housing while puting retail at risk. In perhaps the most fiery moment in the approximately 50-minute speech, she promised to push back against that “reign” by lobbying against state laws that might limit the city’s control of its development. “It is our duty to fight for every inch of local control we have left to ensure Cupertino’s future is shaped by its residents and not by Sacramento,” said Moore to a burst of applause.
As much as the speech focused on outside pressures, it turned inward on city government itself, lauding city staff and listing off victories from hosting thousands of businesses, opening parks, maintaining trees and roads, and expanding transit options.
It also took a technocratic look at improving the transparency of the city. While she admitted that talk of “website upgrades” and “prioritization matrices” might seem technical, Moore stated that smooth, transparent governance would help the city weather the coming challenges and continue to move forward.
With that approach, the difficulties of the past and present could ultimately be approached with some optimism, making the city “more focused, more polished and more resilient,” said Moore towards the end of her address.
Many residents and officials in attendance seemed to appreciate the even keeled-nature of Moore’s speech.
“She’s not afraid to take a principled position and that has actually led to more progress … that has led to some more balanced positions and her looking at each issue on the merits,” said Seema Lindskog, a planning commissioner for the city and chair of the advocacy group Bike Walk Cupertino.
Even so, some differed on Moore’s assessment of the issues facing Cupertino. Councilmember J.R. Fruen maintained that the city had much to do before it achieved “good governance,” pointing to a civil grand jury report critiquing Cupertino’s government. He also argued that problems with housing and retail were best addressed by strategic planning of housing growth, not by lobbying against state regulations.
“When you misdiagnose the problem, you frequently prescribe a solution that is unlikely to solve it,” said Fruen, even as he appreciated the tone of the address. “She clearly put a lot of effort and thought into it … I thought that it was welcoming and optimistic.”
Still, others remained optimistic about the speech and Moore’s leadership.
“We’re in a much better place than we were two years ago, even three years ago,” said Councilmember Ray Wang, who looked ahead to the challenges facing the city. “This is going to be interesting, but the more transparent you are, the easier it is to make hard decisions.”
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