Santa Clara honors volunteers and local businesses at State of the City event

As part of the State of the City program at Wilcox High School, Mayor Lisa M. Gilmore and members of the City Council presented district awards to volunteers, small‑business owners and cultural organizers from across Santa Clara.

District honorees named in the program included Helen Arcezo (recognized by District 1 Councilmember Albert Gonzalez) for longtime neighborhood volunteer service; Teresa Anelio of Portuguese Tasty Desserts (presented on behalf of District 2 Councilmember Raj Chahal) for cultural and food‑security work with seniors and local shelters; Karen Grant Hovey (introduced by District 3 Councilmember Karen Hardy) for decades of volunteer service in schools and community organizations; Big Mug Coffee (presented by District 4 Councilmember Kevin Park) for small‑business contributions to neighborhood life; Taplands (recognized in District 5’s award presentation) for creating a downtown taproom; and Kirk Fartan (introduced by Vice Mayor Kelly Cox) for long‑term civic engagement and work on the local agrihood.

Mayor Gilmore presented the Citywide Community Award and named Daniel Wu the 2025 Santa Claran of the Year, citing Wu’s work organizing meal deliveries during the COVID‑19 pandemic, his role in Korean‑American cultural events and ongoing small‑business support during emergencies. The mayor described Wu as “not loud or attention seeking. He simply sees what needs to be done, and he does it.”

Remarks from councilmembers highlighted volunteerism, small‑business resilience and place‑making as central contributions to Santa Clara’s community life. The program portion of the event was presented as recognition of civic service and cultural contributions; no formal council actions or votes were recorded during the award presentations in the transcript.