Santa Clara Council appoints members to senior, bike‑ped and cultural advisory panels

The Santa Clara City Council on Wednesday held a hybrid special meeting to interview candidates and appoint members to three advisory bodies: the Senior Advisory Commission, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) and the Cultural Commission. The council filled the posted partial and full terms and approved an eligibility list for future vacancies.

The council prioritized finishing interviews and making appointments during the meeting. Assistant City Clerk Nora Pimentel summarized the interview format before the panel began: “So this evening, as you stated, you will be interviewing 5 applicants … 3 minutes of introduction followed by council questions, and theyve all been given those questions.” That format was used in each round of interviews.

Why it matters: advisory commissions shape council decisions and city programs on aging services, pedestrian and bicycle safety, and cultural events. The newly appointed members will advise the council and staff on work plans and community outreach tied to those policy areas.

Most significant actions

- Senior Advisory Commission: The council appointed Alma So to (partial term ending 06/30/2028), Rick Andrews (partial term ending 06/30/2027), Chris Kishore Kapadia (partial term ending 06/30/2026) and Rebecca Selden (partial term ending 06/30/2026). The council carried a motion naming all four; the mayor called the roll and the motion passed unanimously of those present. Applicants described experience ranging from prior commission service (Rick Andrews) to community nonprofit work (Alma So to), entrepreneurship and senior‑center volunteering (Chris Kishore Kapadia) and community outreach and real estate work (Rebecca Selden). Andrews told the council he had resigned from the commission earlier this year after a stroke on “February eighteenth” and said he has since recovered and is ready to serve again.

- Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC): After interviews and a council ranking process, the council appointed Jonathan Marinaro to a partial term ending 06/30/2028, Vernon Shurer (listed as Vern) to a partial term ending 06/30/2027 and George Harrow to a full term ending 06/30/2029. The council also placed Ram Iyengar on an eligibility list for future openings. Candidates described priorities that included safety, connectivity and secure bike parking; several applicants said improving walking and biking infrastructure and reaching vulnerable users would encourage more active transportation. The final motion listing the appointed names passed unanimously.

- Cultural Commission: The council appointed KuKu (Kuku) Das to the partial term ending 06/30/2028 and Charles Pontius to the full term ending 06/30/2029, and named Esther Rubin to the eligibility list. Das described co‑founding a local nonprofit (iGurukul) that stages multicultural events; Pontius described a long background in music performance and community outreach; Rubin described cross‑cultural communications and marketing experience. The motion passed unanimously.

How the council decided: for each commission the council conducted the advertised interviews, asked the same set of questions of each candidate, then members cast votes. For items with multiple openings the council used a ranked or multiple‑vote process; where vote counts were tallied the mayor announced totals (for example, the senior advisory vote highlighted that Alma received five votes and Rick three before the council moved to appoint all four candidates). Where candidates withdrew before interviewing, staff treated those as withdrawals and the council considered only present applicants.

What appointees said in brief

- Rick Andrews (Senior Advisory Commission) said he had served on the commission before and that he resigned following a stroke on February 18; he told the council he had recovered and wanted to return to service.

- Alma So to (Senior Advisory Commission) described nonprofit work with Heart of the Valley and urged more outreach, transportation options and tech training for seniors.

- Jonathan Marinaro (BPAC) and Vernon Shurer (BPAC) emphasized safety, continuity of bike and pedestrian networks and multimodal connections to transit as priorities.

- Kuku Das (Cultural Commission) described founding the nonprofit iGurukul and running large multicultural events; Charles Pontius described music and community outreach experience; Esther Rubin described cross‑cultural communications and marketing skills.

Council and staff next steps

Appointments are effective following the council process; the city clerks office will contact new appointees to schedule oath of office and orientation. Staff told appointees the city would arrange oath and onboarding soon.

Meeting context and limits

The interviews and appointments focused on candidate qualifications; no ordinance or budget changes were considered in the votes reported here. The councils decisions were procedural appointments to advisory panels and do not themselves change city policy; recommendations from the commissions will return to the council through separate agenda items if the bodies request council action.