Incumbent Kitty Moore had a tight lead over several Cupertino City Council candidates to secure her spot on the council, while Rod Sinks and Ray Wang were neck-to-neck for a chance to take the second open seat, Tuesday results showed.
Moore leads with 24% of votes as of 11:15 p.m. Tuesday, while Sinks and Wang are tied with 18%. The triad are competing against Councilmember Hung Wei, former mayors Gilbert Wong and Barry Chang and political newcomer Claudio Bono.
Moore and Wang closely supported each other during the campaign period. They ran on a joint platform aimed at promoting fiscal accountability and transparency of tax payer dollars and encouraging city leaders to consider the environmental and public safety concerns of large development projects.
Moore calls herself a “smart watch dog” when it comes to dealing with council affairs and is known by resident for voicing her concerns about large-scale projects, including The Rise.
The mixed-use housing project, will include shops, offices and more than 2,000 residential spaces. The project was green-lit by the council earlier this year and will be built on the demolished Vallco mall at the corner of North Wolfe Road and Stevens Creek Boulevard near Interstate 280.
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For about a decade residents and city leaders were divided over how to redevelop the area, with some in support of maximizing the number of housing and office spaces and others resistant to adopting such large projects. In recent years, the council has consisted of a developmental-friendly majority, with members typically voting favor of moving ahead with ambitious housing plans and developments.
Sinks, a former Cupertino mayor and councilmember, has voiced his support for turning The Rise into a vibrant downtown for Cupertino. His priorities include expanding inter-city transportation services and promoting a business-friendly environment. Sinks serves as a board trustee for the Fremont Union High School District and will term out this month.
Moore and Wang’s tenure as city leaders has not come without controversy. Last year, in the wake of an independent investigation looking into the misconduct of the Cupertino City Council, Moore and fellow Councilmember Liang Chao were stripped of their committee assignments. Both were eventually reinstated, following the city’s decision to require additional training for councilmembers on council governance and staff communication.
Wang was appointed chair of Cupertino’s Planning Commission in 2019, but was ousted from his post last year following accusations of harassing community members and city officials. Wang and his supporters previously called the move politically motivated and criticized the council’s majority for not hearing his side of the story before the decision.