To raise money for the Hsinchu Sister City Committee's student exchange program, City Councilwoman Kris Wang proposed letting the sister city committee take over the annual event at Memorial Park from the Moon Festival of Silicon Valley— a nonprofit organization that has held the festival since 1998.

"Just as the Toyokawa Sister City Committee holds the Cherry Blossom Festival and uses the proceeds to sponsor a student exchange program, the Hsinchu Sister City Committee should follow the same model," said Wang, who has served as a city liaison to both sister city committees since early this year.

Wang's proposal was embraced by the Hsinchu Sister City Committee but infuriated Lucia Wu— who has chaired the Moon Festival for four years— and other volunteers.

"Who does Kris Wang think she is? We did all the hard work. How dare they just come in and want to get all the glory?" said Jennie Yeung, a Cupertino resident who has volunteered for the Moon Festival for five years.

Wu said Wang should not abuse her power as a city councilwoman. "I feel flattered that they want to steal the Moon Festival. That shows that our event is very successful but they have no grounds to take it over," Wu said.

David Fong, chairman of the Hsinchu Sister City Committee, said his organization just wants to "take the Moon Festival back."

"Taking it over is a wrong statement. The Hsinchu Sister City Committee has been involved in the Moon Festival since the very beginning," Fong said. "The Moon Festival's founder, Fernando Chen, was chairman of the Hsinchu Sister City Committee. Since the first year of the event, our committee has been participating by donating moon cakes, inviting government officials from Hsinchu and providing volunteers."

Wang said the Hsinchu Sister City Committee is entitled to host the festival more than Wu's group because Wu and many of the board members of the Moon Festival of the Silicon Valley don't live in Cupertino. Wu lives in Los Altos Hills and Dennis Wan, co-chairman of the Moon Festival, lives in San Jose. The organization's headquarter was originally located in Cupertino but moved to Saratoga a year ago.

"They lack linkage to the city," Wang said.

Fernando Chen, who founded both the Moon Festival and the Hsinchu Sister City Committee, said. "The Hsincu Sister Committee's involvement in the Moon Festival has been very minimal. Lucia, Daisy Chu and I worked very hard to create the event from nothing. Now that the festival has become the most attended event in Cupertino, they want to share the profits. They can if they share the workload. Otherwise, they should find other means to raise funds for its student exchange program."

"If Dr. Fong claims that he can take the event back simply because I founded the festival when I was on the Hsinchu Sister City Committee, does that mean I can take the committee back because I founded it, too? People should feel appreciative that people who don't live in Cupertino are willing to contribute their time and energy here," said Chen, who himself is a longtime Cupertino resident.

Since 1998, all the proceeds of the Moon Festival have benefited local organizations such as the Cupertino Education Endowment Foundation and the De Anza College Euphrat Museum.

Wang's proposal is controversial not only within the Chinese community but also within the council.

At the council's April 6 study session, Mayor Sandy James told Wang that she should sit on the sister city committees as a community leader instead of as a councilwoman.

"The Moon Festival is not a city event. If you want to change it, you have to do it as a private citizen," James said.

Councilwoman Dolly Sandoval said although she is a board member of the Cupertino Community Services, she never participates as a councilwoman.

"If you want to make the Moon Festival to be more like the Cherry Blossom Festival, you have to work with the current structure of the Moon Festival," Sandoval said. "Some people may feel stress from you as Councilwoman Kris Wang."

Challenging James and Sandoval, Wang asked City Attorney Chuck Kilian whether other city council members have the right to take her council office away from her. "I am elected by the community and I am doing this for the best interest of the community," Wang said.

Whether Wang should sit on the sister city committees as a councilwoman or a private citizen is tricky, said Cupertino public information officer Rick Kitson.

"The sister city committees are quasi-official. The city council needs to adopt a resolution to declare a city as its sister city but they are also independent organizations," Kitson said.

The debates within the council and the Chinese American community are unlikely to be settled soon, said Steve Ting, who has tried to facilitate the merge between the Moon Festival of Silicon Valley and the Hsinchu Sister City Committee.

"Which organization initiated the Moon Festival is not important," Ting said. "The most important thing is that the two organizations share the same goal: promoting Chinese culture in Cupertino. Both David Fong and Lucia Wu are successful event organizers. They should work together to make the Moon Festival bigger."

Wu said there is no room for negotiations.

"We are a well-established organization. What can they bring to the table? They don't have the funding, manpower and the experience," Wu said. "I am not going to bow to anyone's power, no matter if they are city council members or not."