Jim's Sunnyvale Blog | Former Sunnyvale Mayor Jim Griffith

2013 Community Award Nominations Now Open

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Jim Griffith

The City of Sunnyvale is now accepting nominations for its annual community awards, to be given during this year’s State of the City address. Categories to be awarded are

Distinguished Resident of the Year
Outstanding Businessperson
Outstanding Community Volunteer
Outstanding Contribution to the Arts
Outstanding Educator
Outstanding Environmental Achievement
Outstanding High School Senior
Mayor’s Award of Excellence

If you know of someone deserving of recognition, please submit a nomination form by June 28th.

3/19/2013 Council Preview

Posted on March 17, 2013 by Jim Griffith

This is going to be a very long night.

We start the evening with a closed session regarding the ongoing negotiations with Sunnyvale Employees Association (SEA). We then have a study session regarding a project of interest to a lot of residents, the low-income housing project that’s being considered for the Armory site. Then we get on to the general session.

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National League of Cities

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Jim Griffith

I’m back from this year’s National League of Cities Convention in Washington, DC. This is an annual event where representatives from cities throughout the country get together, advocate for issues of common interest, and spend time with their elected representatives. This year’s guest speakers included former Oklahoma Congressman JC Watts, Senator John McCain talking about immigration reform, and Vice President Biden talking about how cities can deal with issues related to gun violence. It was a great lineup this year.

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BREAKING: Moffett/Hangar One Plan Released

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Jim Griffith

From the Office of Congresswoman Anna Eshoo. An initial analysis of this is that it appears to be very good news for Sunnyvale, since it preserves use of the airfield and opens the possibility of preserving Hangar One.

OFFICE OF REPRESENTATIVE ANNA G. ESHOO (CA-18)

For Immediate Release
March 1, 2013
http://eshoo.house.gov

Contact: Charles Stewart
(202) 225-8104
charles.stewart@mail.house.gov

CONGRESSWOMAN ESHOO ANNOUNCES PLAN FOR HANGAR ONE AND MOFFETT FEDERAL AIRFIELD

PALO ALTO, CA—Following a meeting with Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo (D-Palo Alto), GSA, NASA, and the White House at the Capitol on Tuesday, February 26, the General Services Administration will issue a Notice of Intent regarding Hangar One and Moffett Federal Airfield, which reflects the following:

1. Moffett Federal Airfield will NOT be excessed. It will remain a restricted Federal Airfield and NASA will remain its custodian.

2. The Notice of Intent outlines a competitive bid process and the Request for Proposal (RFP) will be released this spring seeking a qualified lessee to provide for the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of historic Hangar One.

“This notice of intent embodies my consistent goals over several years to save Hangar One and to keep Moffett Federal Airfield as a local and Bay Area public safety and national security asset, and home to the 129^th Rescue Wing,” Rep. Eshoo said.

She added, “GSA and NASA will work closely with the local community to explain the RFP process and produce the desired outcomes. I will continue to work with the agencies and my communities to see this critical process through.”

2/26/2013 Council Summary – Lawarence Station and Handguns

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Jim Griffith

Sorry for no meeting preview this week – it’s been a bit of a busy time, and I’m still playing catch-up. Councilmember Moylan arrived late to the meeting due to an unavoidable commitment, and we

We got straight into it, after an announcement from me regarding board and commission recruitment – we’ve got a bunch of seats to fill this time out. There was also an announcement on behalf of the Sunnyvale Community Players. The consent calendar was passed on a 6-0 vote, except for one dissenting vote (not from me) on the minutes, on the list of bills, and on a tract map. There was a public comment involving the ongoing challenges with the Fairoaks Mobile Home Park, plus some concerns about the low-income housing development taking place on the old armory site. There was some misinformation regarding the armory project, which will hopefully be straightened out by both the outreach meeting on the 6th plus any future RTCs that Council may need to consider.

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