Maybe city leaders and residents have been trying so hard to be politically correct that there's been a little denial going on about how Cupertinians are feeling. Maybe.

It's good to get things out in the open.

The danger right now is, this flash point could move people into taking sides, where groups get together and grumble about what that person said or might have implied, each group building a case against the "other side." There's that lying awake at night going over and over the argument against the other side. We've all been there. (I have my regular 3 a.m. sessions) It's exhausting. And it goes nowhere except to finger pointing and name calling.

Maybe there's something more important than winning this building-naming bout.

The Cupertino Courier had a meeting with some town leaders not so long ago, and we were very impressed with the efforts and sincerity of the city to solve community issues and to keep the lines of communication open.

The city sponsors programs like Citizens of Cupertino Cross-Cultural Steering Committee and the block leader programs on the neighborhood level to get people working together. Our reporters have learned that neighbors do reach out to each other.

But they've also learned that these same neighbors find it difficult at times to bridge the cultural gap. Still, the desire to connect is there. This takes a whole lot of effort by everyone.

But then something like the howling, lambasting council meeting comes along and oops maybe something more needs to be done.

Maybe this will all blow over, or maybe Cupertino is ready to move to a level that goes beyond political correctness and into real and honest communication straight from the heart about what residents are feeling these days.

In just the last 10 to 12 years the face of the city has changed dramatically. I don't know if another community has seen so much change in so short a time

Oldtimers, some of them multigenerational, are struggling to accept these profound changes in what they feel is their city. Who doesn't want things to remain the same?

But as one resident quoted in our May 28 Monta Vista neighborhood story said about the changes, "You can't stop it."

The newcomers to the community are struggling with finding a place in their new culture, becoming part of a town they deeply respect in part because of its diversity. They are perhaps going through the greatest change and they want to feel they belong, too.

This dual-sided frustration cannot help but be causing tension within individual residents and their environment. That would be normal. In fact, it would be abnormal not to feel the tension. And unhealthy to deny it.

Maybe it's time for people to really start talking—to let people say what's stored up inside—and to let them say it without sitting in judgement. The intention would be to listen to what it's like for both the old timers and the newcomers living in Cupertino.

And maybe the local politicians and those who often speak at council could step back and listen while residents speak up. There could actually be a discussion about what to do about naming buildings in Cupertino.

Cupertino is certainly way out in the forefront in tackling issues of diversity. Even though there's a tiff just now in and around the council chambers, I do believe the will of the city is to engage everyone. These racial issues will probably never be solved completely. But things can get a little bit better and many times it's these seemingly ugly conflicts that force that to happen.

Sandy Sims is the editor of The Courier. Contact her at 408.200.1055 or ssims@svcn.com.