The Sunnyvale City Council voted to appoint several new commissioners at its Dec. 17 meeting.

Nick Pal will serve on the board of building code appeals until 2005; Carole Jevons will serve on the child care advisory board until 2006; and Brian McQueen and Lillian Pang will serve on the heritage preservation commission, McQueen until 2005 and Pang until 2006. Narendra Pathak will serve on the housing and human services commission until 2005; Helen de Wolf and Ted Ringel will serve on the parks and recreation commission, de Wolf until 2005 and Ringel until 2003; and Karen Bushman will serve on the personnel board until 2004.

The council also decided to extend the recruitment period in order to fill vacancies.


Sunnyvale ranks high on safety list

In a recent study the city of Sunnyvale was ranked as the fifth safest city in the United States and the third safest among cities with 100,000 to 500,000 residents. The award is based on a city's rating for six basic crime categories: murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft.

In fiscal year 2001­02, Sunnyvale had its lowest overall crime rate since the earliest records on file at the department of public safety, in 1975. All cities with more than 75,000 residents that reported crime data to the FBI for the six crime categories were included in the rankings.

The study was conducted by Morgan Quitno Press, an independent private research and publishing company in Kansas.


Sunnyvale business license renewals are due on Jan. 1

The city is currently mailing out business license renewal forms to all businesses within the Sunnyvale city limits. The completed forms are due back to the city by Jan. 1.

Business owners should review their current license information and provide the city with any necessary changes in information. The city's department of economic development is seeking additional contact information, such as email addresses, in order to communicate more effectively with business owners and update them on activities and events in the city.

During the course of the next year, the department plans to develop an online business directory. For more information about current business licenses or for assistance in applying for a license, contact the economic development department at 408.730.7607.