Cupertino council approves first reading to reinstate Economic Development Committee; 3-2 vote

The Cupertino City Council on Monday approved the first reading of Ordinance No. 25-2269, reinstating the city—s Economic Development Committee (EDC) by a 3-2 roll call vote. Vice Mayor Moore moved the recommended action; Council member Wong seconded. The motion passed with Council members Wong, Vice Mayor Moore and Mayor Chow voting yes and Council members Fruin and Mohan voting no.

The ordinance, as presented, would recreate a nine-member advisory committee made up of two city council members, five members drawn from industry sectors and two commissioners (one from the Sustainability Commission and one from the Technology, Information and Communications Commission). The staff report says the city enacted the original ordinance in 2022 and disbanded the committee by ordinance in 2023; the reinstatement language is described as "basically identical" to the 2022 ordinance.

City staff described the work performed while the committee was inactive. Daniel DeGoo, the city—s economic development manager, told council that after the committee was disbanded staff continued regular outreach: meetings with local business owners, commercial real-estate professionals and other stakeholders; coordination with the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce; a December 2023 focus group that informed an Applied Development Economics market study; and an April 25, 2024 informational memo documenting those efforts. DeGoo said day-to-day activities included business attraction, retention, technical assistance and regular contacts with major local employers.

Council members and staff debated how a reinstated EDC would differ from the city manager—s working group. The city manager—s office described the working group as a small, internally focused team that meets as-needed and is staffed consistently by the city manager, the deputy city manager and the economic development manager, with other participants invited as issues arise. Several council members said that structure has not produced a clear, citywide economic development strategy and that a formal committee might broaden expertise and public engagement. The staff estimate to support four quarterly EDC meetings is about 160 staff hours annually.

Speakers at public comment offered opposing views. Jean Bedourd, a longtime Cupertino resident, urged the council not to reinstate the EDC, saying the committee was "poorly conceived and implemented" and that staff-based outreach is more flexible. San R (a resident) asked council to insist on measurable outcomes and metrics for any committee work, citing questions about permit times, new-business attraction and sales-tax change. Jennifer Griffin, another resident, supported reinstating the committee to help retain and attract retail and headquarters-level employers.

Council concerns raised during debate included: potential staffing burdens and competing priorities for limited staff time; conflict-of-interest issues for business representatives (and the effect of Form 700 disclosure and recusal on committee usefulness); and whether advisory committee seats would be available to the types of industry leaders the council wants to recruit. Council members who opposed the ordinance said similar work in neighboring cities is performed by staff and outside consultants and that ad-hoc studies can deliver focused recommendations faster than a standing advisory board.

The motion on first reading included a finding that the proposed ordinance amendments are exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The council did not appoint members at this meeting and did not set the date for a second reading. Staff did not specify an implementation timeline or appointments process in the materials presented.

The council approved the measure—s first reading; additional steps (second reading, formal appointments and any implementation plan) were not specified during the meeting and will require follow-up.