Residents push back on Los Palmus Park plans, allege process gaps and potential conflicts

Hundreds of residents pressed the Sunnyvale City Council on April 21 over proposed renovation plans for Los Palmus Park, saying a preferred design that includes a large cricket pitch, tall perimeter fencing and field lighting would eliminate a multiuse open field the neighborhood uses for informal play and events.

Speakers at the meeting’s oral communications portion said the process leading to the proposal felt rushed or opaque. Emanuel Guerrero, a member of the neighborhood group Los Palmus Green & Serene, told council that earlier city surveys showed only 6–7% interest for expanding cricket into the park, but that an online live poll at a March meeting made a cricket pitch the preferred option. Guerrero said the Zoom poll allowed multiple voting and included responses from non‑Sunnyvale residents, and asked the city to restore trust in resident surveys.

Other residents described how children and families currently use the open space for volleyball, picnics, soccer and other activities. Ashley Henson said the proposed enclosed pitch and tall fences would make playing informal games — and simply walking across the field — more difficult for smaller children. “It is a dynamic space,” she said. “Labeling it as a cricket pitch will reduce the ability to have multiple uses.”

Several public speakers also raised a potential conflict‑of‑interest concern, noting that Parks & Recreation Commissioner Pash Giri serves as a leader in a local cricket association and that staff meeting minutes suggested commissioners favored including cricket in the redesign. Council Member Cisneros asked the city attorney about conflict‑of‑interest rules; legal staff said recusal required disclosure of a specific financial or similar interest and that training and annual disclosures exist for commissioners and many applicants to boards and commissions.

City Manager and Parks staff responded that the Los Palmus renovation process will be paused and retooled to increase outreach. The city manager said staff will deliver multiple conceptual designs to the council at a future public hearing, including more preservation‑focused alternatives, and will present them in a way that gives residents another clear opportunity to choose among options before any final decision is made.

The council did not vote on park design at the April 21 meeting. Staff said additional community engagement will resume this fall and that the public will have the chance to review and speak about conceptual designs before council action.