Jim's Sunnyvale Blog | Former Sunnyvale Mayor Jim Griffith

03/15/2016 Council Blog – Raynor Activity Center

Posted on March 14, 2016 by Jim Griffith

Looks like another long one. We start the evening with another closed session to discuss ongoing labor negotiations with both SEA and PSOA. This is followed by a joint study session with the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission to discuss upcoming bicycle projects.

The general session starts with a presentation from the Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber recently commissioned a survey on residents’ view of transportation priorities, and they want to present the results to the public.

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Climate Change and the National League of Cities

Posted on March 7, 2016 by Jim Griffith

I’m spending time this week in Washington, DC for the National League of Cities Winter convention. This is an opportunity for council members from cities throughout the country to get together, discuss issues of mutual interest, and lobby national officials for causes that are important to cities. There are a number of paid classes, breakout sessions, and panel discussions that are a part of the conference, and I’m free to pick and choose what I want to do. My priority is always the meetings with our local officials, and then I fill in the remaining time with classes and meetings of interest.

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02/23/2016 Council Preview – A Mixed Bag

Posted on February 22, 2016 by Jim Griffith

Lots of different items in this meeting, with no real elephant in the room. We start the evening with a closed session involving the former redevelopment agency. This looks like discussion about two separate legal issues.

The consent calendar is a big one, in part because of items being carried over from our last marathon meeting. We’ve got a law enforcement grant, contracts for road repair materials, an amendment to a contract for code enforcement services, a contract for improvements to Fair Oaks Park, the quarterly investment report, two second readings of ordinances, and staff’s proposal for handling this year’s approved study issues (plus a new proposed budget supplement).

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02/09/2016 Council Preview – Stevens Creek Trail and Smoking

Posted on February 8, 2016 by Jim Griffith

This is one of the busiest agendas in the past year, which isn’t that unusual. Our last substantive meeting was December 15th, and the first two meetings of the year tend to be largely ceremonial. So that causes a build-up of work. It was originally supposed to be worse – we were scheduled to discuss modifications to our marijuana ordinances. But a last-minute change in state law by the Governor seems to have pushed that item off for now.

We start the evening with a closed session regarding ongoing labor negotiations with the PSOA and SEA. This is followed by a number of interviews for boards and commissions.

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You’re Invited – Launch of IGreenSunnyvale, Our New Sustainability App

Posted on January 25, 2016 by Jim Griffith

On Saturday, January 30th, Sunnyvale is holding an event to mark the launch of its new sustainability-focused app, IGreenSunnyvale. This new app gives you the tools to track how the every day actions you take can help protect the environment and make Sunnyvale more sustainable. The actions are presented in a fun way so that you can track progress and your personal improvement.

The event is being held from 10 a.m. to noon at Nokia’s downtown offices, located at 200 S Mathilda (at the corner of Washington). All are welcome, but please register here, to help provide a head count for the event. Full information about the app and the event can be found here.

But just as important, please download and use the new app!

This initiative is part of Sunnyvale’s efforts to win the $5 million Georgetown University Energy Prize for reducing energy consumption. Sunnyvale is one of 50 semi-finalists in the competition.