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Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Sunnyvale Mayor Jack Walker has begun instituting 'office hours', where the public can make an appointment on Monday afternoons or Thursday mornings to come in and speak with him. However, thus far, few have taken him up on his offer. City council has struggled to get the community involved in its decision-making process.
Speak Now
Mayor Jack Walker and the Sunnyvale City Council are making great efforts to have voices throughout the community heard. So how come no one is talking?
By Daniel Hindin
It's a rainy Tuesday night in Sunnyvale, about 7:30. The roads, which were bursting to their capacity for several hours with cars full of lone drivers on their way home from a long day at the office, are beginning to clear. Many of the remaining cars, with their wipers swishing slowly across their windshields, drift down Mathilda Avenue, past city hall. The city council meeting will begin any moment now.
In the warm council chambers, the mayor settles into his seat accompanied by his fellow council members. He looks out across the rows of cushioned seats in front of him and notices the usual suspects. He sees several members of the city staff shuffling papers, preparing to give their presentations to council. He sees a few community members who make it their business to regularly attend most council meetings trickling into their seats. He sees the local newspaper reporter clacking his pen against his notebook, waiting for a scoop.
The mayor brings the meeting to order. The staff presents issues. A couple of residents speak their minds. Council votes. Important decisions concerning the future of a city with a population of 130,000 are made, and most of the city's citizens will never know about them.
When he accepted the position of mayor in November, Jack Walker talked about the importance of encouraging community involvement. Since he took the position, he and the rest of the council have invited any and all community members to share their thoughts, their worries and their hopes with them.
The city held what they called a "quality of life" survey in January, asking residents to identify the most important issues on which they believed the city should concentrate. More than 400 residents or less than one-third of 1 percent of Sunnyvale's entire population participated. Ironically, city officials said they were encouraged by this level of participation.
Also in January, Walker announced he would open his doors to the public for a few hours each week, during which he hoped residents would join him in his office and share their views with him. Several local business representatives have taken him up on his offer, but only one resident has taken advantage of the new policy.
"I'm sure when people find something that they're mad at me for, they'll start coming in," Walker jokes.
This would lead one to believe that everyone in Sunnyvale is entirely happy with the city and the lives they lead here.
City officials point to a recent citywide survey in which 93 percent of Sunnyvale residents said that Sunnyvale is an above-average place to live and 92 percent said that the services provided by the city are above average.
"People are comfortable here," Walker says.
But Sunnyvale is experiencing tremendous growth. The city sits right in the middle of Silicon Valley where changes affect the rest of the world daily. Businesses come and go. People sit through hours of traffic everyday. Sunnyvale's entire downtown is changing its face right in front of residents' eyes.
The city government must constantly roll with these changes and keep everything going in what they believe is the right direction. It does the best it can, make what it believes are the proper decisions when it must. But it's looking for guidance from city residents.
"We need to find out what the community wants," said Amy Chan, assistant city manager, during last month's "quality of life survey" open-house.
The city needs to know what the community wants because, when it comes time to make crucial decisions, it wants to be sure that it's acting in the interest of the people of Sunnyvale.
"Some people mix federal, state and local government all into one ball," says Councilman Manuel Valerio. "They may feel like there's not much point [to letting the council know how they feel] because their opinion isn't well respected or listened to, which isn't true--I think we want to listen to everyone. It's not a matter of fighting city hall--it's communicating. Just because you don't get what you want right away, doesn't mean that you're not making a difference."
Valerio also points to Sunnyvale resident's lack of time.
"They're busy with their jobs and transportation," he says. "The time and energy factor comes into play."
Cesar Plata, a vocal leader in Santa Clara County's Latino population, feels that some of the responsibility must fall on the shoulders of the city's leaders.
"Are the leaders out in the community trying to get people involved?" he asks. "Are they shaking hands and getting support, or are they just sitting behind their desks waiting for people to come to them? You can't expect people to get involved if they don't know what's going on."
As one looks at the efforts Mayor Walker and the city council have made, he may come to the conclusion that the city's leadership is, indeed, just sitting behind their desks, waiting for input and feedback.
But Walker talks of working to change that.
"I want to talk to the neighborhood associations," he says. "I've been meaning to do that because they provide more of a local feel. We have to reach out and encourage participation."
Valerio agrees. "We need to build linkages and connections so that, whatever their background, they feel like they're stakeholders in the government. I'm hoping we can do more of it. I don't think we're necessarily deficient at it, but we just need to get them a little more active."
City council meets four Tuesdays each month at 7:30 p.m. in the council chambers at city hall, 456 W. Olive Ave. Mayor Walker holds office hours in his city hall office on Mondays, from 4 to 5 p.m. and Thursdays, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
