CUPERTINO, Calif. (Diya TV) — Five of the eight candidates running for Cupertino City Council faced off Saturday at a debate hosted by Diya TV, addressing the city’s fiscal shortfall, state-mandated housing and the newly signed Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office contract.
Diya TV Founder and CEO Ravi Kapur moderated the hour-long forum at the Quinlan Community Center. Candidates Tracy Kosolcharoen, Gopal Kumarappan, Santosh Rao, Mark Fantozzi and J.Z. Wang participated.
Councilmember J.R. Fruen, the race’s only incumbent, and candidates Seema Sharma Lindskog and John Tang all cited scheduling conflicts and did not attend. The three candidates were sent multiple invitations weeks in advance and are running as a slate together.
Voters will elect three of the five council seats Nov. 3.
Kapur opened by noting the city is contending with an estimated $30 million annual loss in sales tax revenue after the state reallocated receipts previously directed to Cupertino. Compounding that, the City Council this week unanimously approved a new five-year contract with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office that raises the city’s annual law enforcement fee from about $19 million to $25.4 million, a 34% increase.
Rao, the 2025 Planning Commission chair, said staffing and benefits account for 45% of city expenses when combined with cost-allocation charges, and said the sheriff’s contract should be pushed toward compliance with the Rainey-Trice-Rios Act on county cost allocation. He pointed to a recent city audit that found $10.4 million in improper cost allocation to Cupertino and said he would push for a lobbyist ordinance requiring disclosure of clients’ city of residence.
Kumarappan, chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission, said he would push for a quarterly public spending dashboard, tighter scrutiny of consultant contracts, and treating reserve funds as a bridge rather than a recurring budget source. He said he would pursue a line-by-line reconciliation of the sheriff’s contract audit findings and explore joint negotiating leverage with neighboring cities.
Kosolcharoen, chair of the Planning Commission, said the city should audit the proposed $54 million City Hall renovation for non-essential costs, continue reviewing the sheriff’s contract for savings, and streamline permitting to help retain local businesses and retail revenue.
Fantozzi, a structural civil engineer, said the city should scrutinize department budgets for efficiency and pursue closer coordination with local businesses to improve Cupertino’s competitiveness against neighboring cities for retail and commercial tenants.
Wang, running as an independent, said the city should rely more on in-house expertise rather than outside contracts and use reserve funds cautiously to close the structural budget gap.
On housing, candidates were asked about the Vallco site, developed under a 2018 agreement invoking SB 35, as well as the contested Linda Vista and Evulich Court proposals. Kumarappan said construction has begun this year on 232 affordable family rental units at Vallco, though he acknowledged the total affordable unit count fell from earlier plans, and said future development should be concentrated along commercial corridors such as Stevens Creek Boulevard and De Anza Boulevard.
Rao said he voted against the Linda Vista Drive project as a planning commissioner and would do so again, while saying he has supported roughly 400 units of housing along commercial corridors during his tenure on the commission.
Fantozzi said state housing mandates have eroded local zoning authority and cited safety concerns in areas with limited wildfire evacuation routes. Kosolcharoen said the city cannot compel private developers to build and said a previous council’s “misfit zoning” contributed to community pushback on projects like Evulich Court. Wang said the city has vacant commercial and residential inventory that should be factored into housing decisions before adding new density.
On public safety and government transparency, candidates were asked what single process reform they would prioritize in their first year. Rao said he would focus on tightening the city’s lobbyist ordinance. Kosolcharoen said council agendas should reflect broader community input rather than a “vocal minority.” Kumarappan said he would prioritize a department-by-department review of vacant positions, consultant contracts and capital projects.
In closing statements, Fantozzi said he would prioritize fiscal accountability and public safety standards tied to infrastructure risk. Kosolcharoen pointed to her work on an ongoing city audit of resident complaint response times and said she wants earlier community input on major decisions. Kumarappan closed by highlighting two decades of community service work. Rao pointed to his oversight of a $350 million school bond program as evidence of his fiscal experience. Wang closed by emphasizing her record of direct engagement with Cupertino residents.
The debate aired on Diya TV’s KAAP Channel 24.1 and is available to view now in full on Diya TV’s YouTube channel.
