Photograph by Robert Scheer
Mitty High School senior Octavia Baker is all smiles after receiving an award at the State of the City celebration May 9.
Mayor Robin Parker declared the city's health to be "good" at the annual State of the City celebration May 9 in the courtyard of Sunnyvale Town Center.
Parker told a crowd of about 300 people that crime is down and the local economy is rebounding nicely. But she also warned that all that can change if state and county governments continue to drain city coffers by diverting money to their own budgets through "budgetary slight of hand."
Still, she said, living in Sunnyvale is a great deal. Were someone to buy a home in Sunnyvale for about $300,000, they would pay annual property taxes of about $3,000. Of that, the city gets about $360, or $30 a month--the rest goes to schools, local community colleges and county operations. For that monthly price (about the same it costs for premium cable channels), Sunnyvale residents can use the public library, receive instant response from police and fire crews during an emergency, drive on well-paved lighted streets that are swept twice a month, and enjoy 700 acres of parks and open space.
The city also honored community members for achievement and contributions to the city. The honorees were:
*Distinguished Citizen of the Year, John Christian
*Outstanding Business Person of the year, Leslie Lawton
*Outstanding Community Volunteer, Walter Rees
*Outstanding High School Senior of the Year, Octavia Baker
*Department of Public Safety Award of Recognition, Jack Forrester
*Award of Excellence, NASA Ames Research Center.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, May 15, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.