Long-time Cupertino City Councilmember Liang Chao is the city’s new mayor, with Councilmember Kitty Moore now serving as vice mayor after winning unanimous approval by their colleagues.
Unlike nearby cities like Sunnyvale where residents vote for the next mayor, Cupertino’s top leadership positions are decided every year by the council. Chao succeeds Sheila Mohan while Moore takes the torch from Councilmember J.R Fruen. Both Mohan and Fruen will continue to serve on the council until 2026.
At the special meeting Thursday, the council also welcomed former planning commissioner Ray Wang, who recently won the second council seat over former mayor Rod Sinks with just 64 votes. Moore, who ran for reelection, secured the first with 25.14% of the vote. Wang takes the spot of outgoing Councilmember Hung Wei to round out the five-member council.
Addressing the council and residents Thursday, Chao said she is hopeful that she, Wang and Moore can restore the city’s democratic process — which Chao asserted was recently undermined by a lack of transparency and community engagement.
“This is the leadership I pledge to you, one rooted in understanding, collaboration and respect,” Chao said. “I will ensure we put residents first. The council makes decisions based on residents’ input and that city staff follow the council’s direction without undue influence from outside special interests.”
As mayor for the next year, Chao can expect to lead the council through affordable housing expansion, a budget deficit following the loss of millions in sales tax dollars from Apple and oversight of the construction at The Rise, a massive mixed-use development that is expected to be completed in the upcoming decade on the site of the old Vallco mall.
Chao, who first joined the council in 2018, served as vice mayor in 2019 and 2021. During her tenure, Chao has been a part of council decisions including the launch of a city-wide shuttle service and oversaw the closing of the Cupertino-based Lehigh Cement plant and the environmental cleanup of Vallco.
Chao and Moore have both been openly critical towards council approval of the large-scale project, The Rise, mostly for the environmental and congestion issues the development could cause in the city. Both have also been backed by 2014 resident group Better Cupertino, which has focused on what they call a “balanced growth approach to the city and the regional housing crisis” and has historically scrutinized The Rise’s development.
Chao said Thursday she believes every resident supports housing, “as long as high-density projects are located in someone else’s neighborhood.” Chao also said she is confident that most residents would oppose a project that would bring thousands of workers and more congestion into the city.
Chao and Moore were also the subject of controversy last year when an independent investigation and report by a civil grand jury accused the two of poor treatment towards city staff and bypassing councilmember protocols. Both were removed from their committee assignments, but later reinstated following the city decision to require additional training for councilmembers on council governance and staff communication.