Over the past several months, Councilwoman Kris Wang and Lucia Wu have been debating fiercely about who will run the event. The Moon Festival committee started it in 1999, and under the leadership of Wu , has grown over the years. But earlier this year, Wang proposed that the Sister City Committee, which works with the city of Hsinchu in Taiwan, host or co-host the festival. That began a fight between the two woman that is not yet resolved.

But while Wu and Wang wrangle about who is going to control the event this year, Wu has added a new wrinkle to the controversy. She's named her daughter Jennifer Chang as the new chairwoman of the festival.

Wu says she's taking this step to appeal to the younger generation.

"Some people think I only chose her because she is my daughter," said Wu. "But she has proven herself."

Wu said Chang has a long list of credentials that prove she's the best candidate for the position.

Chang said she's qualified to chair the festival. As a student at UC­San Diego, she has become president of the Multi Asian Student Association, worked as senior designer for the UCSD Guardian, the school's newspaper, and served as publicity chair for the hip-hop dance competition, Fusion.

She said that with her experience, she could make the festival even more successful.

Both Wu and Chang believe that the Moon Festival could use a bit of modernization.

"I'm hoping to appeal to a younger crowd," Chang said. "This generation is losing touch with their culture."

Chang said if her mother wasn't so involved in the Chinese community, she would probably not have the sense of her culture that she does.

She says the Moon Festival has gotten her more in touch with her Chinese culture.

"I had no idea what a face changer was before the Moon Festival," said Chang.

She explained that a "face changer" is a popular character in Chinese culture and is an individual who wears a mask and is able to remove it so rapidly it seems like magic.

Chang said she hopes to bring this kind of experience back to the younger community.

She said that by attending almost all of the Moon Festivals that her mother had put on, she has developed a good idea of what needs to be done to bring more youth to the program.

However, it is the very idea of attendance and management that is causing so much controversy about this year's Moon Festival.

"I wanted the Moon Festival, which is held in Cupertino, to benefit Cupertino residents more," she said.

Wang said she wanted to see Cupertino receive more compensation from the festival, but she has received some backlash for her proposal.

"My intention was to have the two committees work together," said Wang.

She said that 22 percent of the profits from the Moon Festival go back to the city of Cupertino, and she thinks that is not enough. She said that she wanted to promote more resident involvement and benefits.

Wu said she believes this is an injustice to the work that her committee has done.

"Kris Wang is not properly representing the Chinese people," said Wu. "The damage is not only to the Chinese community, but to Cupertino."

Wu said that, as an elected official, Wang needs to serve the community's interests, and she feels that dividing the Moon Festival will not do that.

Chang said that the controversy surrounding the festival is a sad reflection of what is happening in the community.

"I'm amazed at how much politics is involved, it really shouldn't be like this," she said.

"It's interesting that something that is supposed to unite everyone is tearing us apart."