http://cspgs.blogspot.com/2012/11/octnov-newsletter.html )
A big “Thank You” goes out to everyone who has signed up until now! The sheer number of supporters helps us greatly when we speak before the council
Another big “Thank You” to those who emailed the City
Council at council@ci.sunnyvale.ca.us
and/or the Sunnyvale Sun at cvongsarath@community-newspapers.com . The Sun has published several letters
now. Our letter can be seen at:
The letters you sent have definitely had an effect. At the City Council meeting of October 16th,Deborah
Marks read (anonymously) some of the impassioned emails we have received asking
for a public vote on this issue. Council
members Jim Davis, Tony Spitaleri, and City Manager Gary Luebbers accused us
(falsely, in our opinion) of spreading incorrect information. All our information is from the City staff
and Council members. The City Council
and City Manager saw our flier before we distributed it to anyone else and said
nothing at the time. We feel this is an
attempt on their part to discredit what we are doing and slow our efforts to
reach the public. We have offered to
meet with the City Council Members and the City manager to establish a
productive relationship and discover what they feel are inaccuracies. We hope they will accept our invitation so we
can begin a productive dialogue.
At the last presentation by City Staff on the sale/lease
of the Civic Center city staff said it would entail a non-competitive
relationship with a builder/buyer. They
call this a “public-private partnership”.
City staff has indicated it will be decided by City Council without a
public vote. Avoiding both a public vote
and competitive bidding may leave the City open to lawsuits. The proposed new library alone will cost
around $70M. If the new City Hall and
Public Safety building cost similar amounts the total will be around $200M
compared to the annual general fund budget of $150M. On the national level this would be like a $4
Trillion enterprise financed by selling Yellowstone, Yosemite, and other
national treasures.
A public vote of all voters on the potential sale/lease
of the Civic Center will enable the City Council to air their views and answer
questions. Currently there is no
explanation as to why the only guidance given to the city staff was to explore
the sale of the Civic Center. If the
buildings need renovation or more office space is needed, those avenues should
be evaluated for cost and practicality.
They are not. Why is there not consideration of a public vote asking to fund
additions and upgrades to existing buildings?
We are busily distributing fliers
throughout Sunnyvale. If anyone wants to
help, please let us know. We are at the
Farmers’ Market most Saturdays and on Sundays in front of the library on Olive
Ave. They can also be distributed in
your neighborhood on your daily walk.
In talking to people we come away knowing that 9 out of
10 people do not support the sale/lease of the 14 acres at the Civic
Center. Perhaps 1 of those 10 sends an e-mail
to us or the City Council. Please let
your neighbors/friends and -relatives know that it’s very important to e-mail
their support so that we have the ability to apply even more pressure on the
council and city government.
For up-to-date information please go to our blog at http://cspgs.blogspot.com/. You will find links to the city’s information
on the topic, e.g. the slides of their presentation at the library on July 31st
of this year. We have also posted a
photo tour of the beautiful trees at the Civic Center.
Thanks again to everyone for their wonderful support and
we’ll keep you posted!
Deborah Marks and Michael Goldman
Citizens for Sunnyvale’s Parks and Green Spaces (CSPGS)
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