LaSala submitted a proposal to the city council with a revised 10-year capital plan, detailing all capital projects in Sunnyvale at a special meeting on Feb. 26. He asked for guidance from council members about which capital projects to fund and which to remove from the city budget. As the budget needs to be approved in June, LaSala needs to finalize many aspects of it by mid-April. The city is looking to close an $11 million deficit for the coming fiscal year.

In his proposal, LaSala said the Cupertino city manager indicated to him that Cupertino plans to move forward with the bridge project but that funding from the state and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority remains uncertain due to budget issues. "This is a very worthy project, but there are others that are more compelling. It's just a matter of competing priorities," LaSala said.

But bicycle enthusiasts from Cupertino and Sunnyvale urged city council members not to back out of the project. Joe Walton of the Cupertino Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission said, "This is a period of uncertainty for the valley and I would encourage you to stay the course. Politically I would hate to see you draw a line between the two cities."

Vice Mayor Tim Risch showed support for the footbridge project, while others abstained from giving their opinion. Council members Fred Fowler and Jack Walker asked the city manager to provide the council with more information about each capital project and the reasons behind the recommendations for each project. Those documents will be made available to the public and the council in time to prepare for another special meeting to discuss the projects in more detail.

Council members did not take action on any of the issues, choosing only to give informal support on certain projects. Risch and Mayor Julia Miller said they wanted to see work on the downtown plaza pushed forward.

LaSala's proposal offered three possible actions in regard to the plaza. The first offered the bare minimum, which would include taking down the temporary fences, putting in grass sod, and adding some landscaping and benches; the second alternative called for high-quality materials but cut down on the original design; and the third included the original design but used lower-quality materials.

Miller said she would prefer the second option so that more could be added to the plaza later. "I would like to see something phased in so we don't have to give something up now," she said. Work could begin on the plaza in as little as six months.

The council will consider the capital projects at the next special meeting, to be announced at a later date. In the meantime, the city will hold two community meetings to discuss the capital projects in further detail and to gather public input. The first meeting will be held on March 18 from 9 to 10 a.m. at the city's senior center. The second meeting will be on March 20 from 7 to 8 p.m. at Fairwood Elementary School's multipurpose room.