On September 27th, our partners at Livable Sunnyvale welcomed their neighbors to a forum where they could hear City Council candidates discuss challenges and propose solutions to issues facing the community. Candidates for City Council Seat 1 (Gustav Larsson and Henry Alexander III), Seat 2 (Glenn Hendricks and Josh Grossman), and Seat 3 (John Cordes and Mason Fong) addressed a variety of questions from the audience—ranging from climate change to transportation and affordable homes.
One focal point at the forum was how the City of Sunnyvale can reduce car dependency and greenhouse gas emissions. All candidates agreed that substantial traffic comes from non-residents passing through the city to get to work. They proposed a variety of measures to bring more jobs and homes to Sunnyvale so residents can work where they live, thereby reducing commute times. Candidates also agreed that communities need to improve the safety and accessibility of bike and pedestrian access.
Many of these ideas reflect the work that Greenbelt Alliance is focused on in Sunnyvale, particularly the El Camino Real Specific Plan. We, along with Livable Sunnyvale, are advocating for the plan to provide homes that are affordable across the income spectrum; increased access for multimodal transit such as biking and walking; and community-centered areas where residents can live, shop, and work nearby.
Livable Sunnyvale, the host of the forum, is a new and fast-growing coalition of individuals and organizations that are working together toward a more vibrant, inclusive, and people-friendly Sunnyvale. They work to educate and activate residents and office-holders to secure an environmentally sustainable future with broadly shared prosperity and a high quality of life. Members of the coalition include Friends of Caltrain, Greenbelt Alliance, Sunnyvale Cool, the Sunnyvale Democratic Club’s Affordable Housing Committee, Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, SV@Home, and TransForm.
To learn more about our work in Sunnyvale, please contact Kiyomi Honda Yamamoto, South Bay Regional Representative.
Photo: Kiyomi Honda Yamamoto
