City of SunnyvaleCandidate for Mayor

I moved to Sunnyvale in 1989, and I fell in love with our city. I have been active in Sunnyvale for about 20 years and enjoy working to make it better. I've been on city commissions and committees, non-profit boards, City Council, and I've been Sunnyvale's Mayor since January of 2019. 

I've shown the leadership to be our first directly elected mayor. 

As Mayor, I

• Actively endorsed and worked to pass Measure B in March 2020; I felt that the districts would improve the diversity of Sunnyvale's Council

• Built unity after a hate crime in 2019; bringing our diverse community together to find a path forward

• Protected residents and local small businesses during the current pandemic and raised our regional voice; I've done everything I could to help residents (delivering masks, toilet paper, and food), and promoting our small businesses

• Established a series of listening sessions in response to the outcry over racial injustice; helped engage our community to hear their concerns about the public safety and social concerns about our city itself.

For four years, I have listened and collaborated with residents, young and old, during my weekly Friday morning office hours at a family run coffee shop. During the shelter-in-place, this has now become a weekly virtual meeting where I update residents on issues that directly affect them and answers their questions about what his happening in the city.

I have a long track record of success as Councilmember and Mayor in improving Sunnyvale residents’ quality of life.

Encouraged additional housing and help protect residents housing options

• Made Accessory Living Units ("granny" flats) easier to add in Sunnyvale
• Spearheaded just cause eviction protection when the state left a loophole in the fall of 2019
• During Covid-19, pushed an eviction moratorium that covered our mobile home communities

Improved transportation options and bike/pedestrian safety 

• Worked to get more the $9 Million funding to extend Stevens Creek Trail to Fremont Avenue
• Collaborated with CalTrans to get the speed lowered to 35MPH along El Camino Real
• Got the concept of an Evelyn Trail added as part of our Active Transportation Plan

Helped small businesses and the revitalization of Sunnyvale Downtown 

• Worked with the Sunnyvale Downtown Association make Murphy Avenue into a pedestrian-only zone (for al fresco dining in response to the current COVID-19 Pandemic)
• Worked to get funding for a Sunnyvale Cares program giving up to $15 thousand to Sunnyvale businesses hit by the pandemic

As your first directly elected Mayor, I pledge to continue to

• to listen,
• to collaborate, and
• to work tirelessly for you.

Experience and leadership matter, and I will lead the city out of our current crisis and into recovery.

I have been doing the work as Sunnyvale's Mayor, and I am ready to continue the work without any delay.

I believe that everyone's voice matters. All politics is local at the end of the day. People can make the most difference by focusing on their local community. 

That is why I got involved with the City 20 years ago, going to Planning Commission and Council Meetings to reimagine the vision of our Sunnyvale Downtown. Everyone's voice makes a difference, and I've worked to listen and engage with all members of our diverse community.

When I was sworn into office four years ago in September of 2016, I started weekly office hours to hear back from my community. Every Friday morning at Bean Scene Cafe, I would meet with residents to hear their concerns, collaborate on how to resolve concerns, and help them get more involved.

I have sat with hundreds of residents join me for morning coffee and talk about their issues. 

During that those Weekly Office Hours, I have:

• Helped a mobile home community organize and fight for correct UPS overnight noises
• Helped organize residents to organize a Halloween Pet Parade (which restarted in 2019)
• Educated residents on how to raise complaints on cracked sidewalks, brunt-out streetlights
• Helped residents get support during difficult times.

During the pandemic for the last 6 months, I have converted the weekly coffee shop meetings to virtual addresses where I:

• Give residents detailed updates on what is happening at the State, County and City Level
• Answer resident questions
• Gives words of encouragement and tell them of upcoming events

For four years, I have worked tirelessly to keep residents updated on projects, give them a heads up on upcoming city outreach, and provide them with necessary services.

I believe that constituent services are a crucial part of an elected official’s responsibility. As a Sunnyvale Councilmember and Mayor, we get limited support for this from City Staff. However, I have been doing the work to listen to your concerns and make change in Sunnyvale, and I am ready to continue to fight for you and your interests. Let's continue to make Sunnyvale a great place to live!