City Desk
By Carolyn Schuk

The Council Wore Pink

From Pat Kolstad's muted pink necktie to Lisa Gillmor's hot pink soccer jersey, at the Oct. 11 meeting every City Council member wore something pink in honor of Vice Mayor Patricia Mahan's efforts to promote breast cancer awareness. Council Member Jamie McLeod organized the show of support, according to Gillmor.

"Our local Santa Clara Sporting soccer club, for the entire month of October is celebrating "goals for a cure," Gillmor told the Council. "The [sports club's] founders thought there were so many women affected, they wanted to raise money for breast cancer research. For the entire month, wherever they're playing they [teams] are wearing these shirts."

Each soccer team has its own plan for raising money - which includes everything from bake sales to asking fans to pledge for each goal scored. The money is being donated to El Camino Hospital to pay for mammograms for women without health insurance. For information, visit santaclarasporting.com.

Gillmor also noted that the Safeway supermarket at Homestead and Kiely has been very helpful in supporting breast cancer awareness.

Santa Clara Has Concerns about Apple's Proposed Cupertino Campus

City staff is participating actively in meetings about Apple's proposed new office campus in Cupertino, according to Santa Clara Planning Director Kevin Riley. Apple submitted its plans to the Cupertino Planning Department on Aug. 9, 2011, and these include an environmental impact assessment.

The proposed four-story campus is near Tantau and Pruneridge. Cupertino intends to close Pruneridge Ave where it crosses the border between the two cities, and effectively turn that part of the street into a driveway for the campus.

Planning department staff attended the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) scoping meeting for the project, reported Riley, and followed up with a Sept.19 letter detailing Santa Clara concerns about traffic, and the development's potential impact on neighborhoods and the San Tomas creek trail. City staff discussed these concerns with the Cupertino planning department at a Sept 22 meeting.

"We have a planner on staff who will be a direct coordinator [with Cupertino] on this project," said Riley. "We'll have very close connection. There will be an opportunity for the public to be able to comment." The City Council will formally respond to the project EIR - the draft will be available in Spring 2012 - and will forward all comments from Santa Clara residents to Cupertino. For more information, including Apple's proposed plan, visit www.cupertino.org.

Other City Council News

• Council Member Pat Kolstad noted that Santa Clara is "just an eyelash away from meeting" the state's 33 percent renewable energy goals eight years before the 2020 deadline. "One more [green generation] project and we will have achieved our goal."
• Groundbreaking for the Presidio El Camino apartment project takes place on Oct. 24, at 10 a.m. The 40-unit development will offer affordable and low-income apartments, and was funded by the city's Housing Authority in 2010. Construction is expected to finish mid-2013.
• New City Attorney Richard Nosky takes the reins on Oct. 25. On Oct. 11, the Council recognized and thanked attorney Libby Silver for her service in that capacity since the departure of Helene Leichter almost two years ago. "I've enjoyed my 23 months here," said Silver. "It's been interesting. I've been a city attorney for many years...but there have been many new issues here."

Last week's meeting was adjourned in memory of Paula Ettelbrick, 56, who died of cancer on Oct. 7, 2011. Ettelbrick was a longtime international advocate for people affected by HIV/AIDS and for LGBT equality - most recently as Executive Director of the Stonewall Community Foundation.