Vallco’s fate could hinge on outcome of still-tight Cupertino council race
Cupertino residents are anxiously waiting for the final tally in an extremely tight City Council race because the three candidates who eventually emerge as victors could decidedly stay or change the course of the city’s near-vacant Vallco Shopping Mall.
Since Election Day, incumbents Mayor Darcy Paul and Councilwoman Savita Vaidhyanathan and newcomer Liang-Fang Chao have maintained their lead for three open seats, but so far with 16 percent of the votes still to be counted only two votes separate the third- and fourth-place candidates.
Each of the top contenders brings a different perspective to the simmering debate about what to do with Vallco.
It’s a debate that has polarized the community into factions — one that favors a community plan forged as an alternate to the mixed-use proposal that Vallco owner and developer Sand Hill Property Co. has crafted against those who simply want to dump both plans altogether in the steadfast hope that the shopping mall will someday see a retail rebirth.
Sand Hill’s plan calls for 2,402 homes, 1.8 million square feet of office space and 400,000 square feet of retail, most of it covered by a 30-acre rooftop park.
Chao has supported Better Cupertino, a grassroots group of residents who for years has opposed Sand Hill’s redevelopment efforts and isn’t any fonder of the community plan. The 54-year-old engineer and Cupertino Union School District board member so far has received 7,312 votes — or 16.02 percent of the total — second only to Paul, according to unofficial figures.
With 14.07 percent of the vote, Vaidhyanathan, 54, is positioned to take the third seat on the council. But because her challenger Jon Willey, another Better Cupertino supporter, isn’t too far behind in votes, Vaidhyanathan’s position is precarious. She has been a vocal supporter of Sand Hill’s proposal, making public appearances with Vice Mayor Rod Sinks and termed-out Councilman Barry Chang on behalf of the community plan. Sand Hill returned the favor by pouring tens of thousands into her campaign, in addition to those of Hung Wei and former mayor Orrin Mahoney.
Chao says Sand Hill singled her out in attack mailers during the campaign, but now that she may have to work with the company she’s hoping for a peaceful relationship. The company needs to be a good neighbor, she said.
“I hope that Sand Hill will finally realize they need to work with Cupertino residents,” Chao said. “I think they have been trying to make the Cupertino council to follow — they make a request and they expect the council to just honor that request. I hope they come to the City Council with a more respectful attitude. No one is trying not to allow them to do things, but what they are doing negatively impacts their neighbors, and their neighbors have a right to say ‘no.’ ”
Chao likely would align with Councilman Steven Scharf, another Better Cupertino supporter. That