The council recognized the late Dr. Darryl Lam for decades of civic engagement and grassroots organizing in Cupertino. In a proclamation read during the Dec. 2 meeting, Mayor Liang Chao said Dr. Lam "devoted his life to civic engagement and grassroots democracy" and noted that his dental office served as an informal civic classroom where residents learned about local planning and referendum tools.

Several speakers and a short video recounted Dr. Lam’s role mentoring residents and encouraging participation in city processes. A family member accepted the proclamation on his behalf.

City staff and an outside vendor, Solving Fun, also presented results from a community puzzle hunt held as part of Cupertino’s 70th-anniversary programming. Marcy Tibble of Solving Fun reported more than 500 completed final answers, over 5,000 visits to the Cupertino page, and nearly 1,000 registrations for information. Organizers asked council to consider running the event again; staff said they were pleased with participation and partnership with local organizations.

Next steps: council members and staff celebrated the contributions and said they would continue community-engagement programming in the coming year.