LIBRARY AND COMMUNITY SERVICES

Library and Community Services Merger Update

While Library and Community Services staff have long partnered with one another to provide services to the community, the recent merger into a single department is strengthening and expanding this partnership. Library and Community Services management met recently and identified several cross-divisional teams that would explore opportunities to leverage resources while streamlining and improving services. Initially, the teams include teen services, marketing, outreach, intranet, and adult programming.

Lifeguards Performed Water Rescue at Washington Pool

On July 15 at 3:30 p.m., a lifeguard at Washington Pool witnessed a 5-year-old boy dive into the shallow end of the pool during recreation swim. The lifeguards responded immediately to this water emergency. Public Safety was contacted and dispatched while lifeguards performed an initial medical evaluation of the child and immobilized his head, neck and back on a backboard. Meanwhile, the balance of the staff temporarily evacuated the pool, opened the facility gates and met emergency response personnel. The child was transported to Stanford Pediatric Emergency for care.

The Community Services Division regularly conducts "red-shirt drills" among its lifeguards to simulate a variety of rescue situations. Regular training ensures that staff is able to respond safely and appropriately to all types of incidents.

Growth in Senior Center Fitness Room Usage

Since the opening of the Fitness Room in the Sunnyvale Senior Center, usage has grown each year. The Fitness Room currently has 855 unique users, each of whom are required to sign-in before using equipment.

	# of Sign-Ins	#of Days Available	Avg. # Users per Day
FY 2003/2004	6,902	215	32
FY 2004/2005	13,065	297	44
FY 2005/2006	15,449	290	53
FY 2006/2007	17,141	296	58
FY 2007/2008	18,103	299	61
FY 2008/2009	21,161	293	72
FY 2009/2010	23,137	292	79
FY 2010/2011	23,004	288	80

Picnics in Sunnyvale are Popular

The City of Sunnyvale currently provides approximately 730 acres of parks and open space. The Community Services Division facilitates approximately 1,600 reservations among the City’s 53 reservable picnic areas each year, with the prime season being May through September. Groups generally range in size from 20-325; with corporate functions up to 845 in size. As such, approximately 80,000 individuals will be served via picnic rentals for family celebrations this summer.

Planning Underway for Grant-Funded Camp

The Columbia Neighborhood Center (CNC) is the recipient of a $3,000 grant from Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) to partially fund its’ "Beyond the Bell - Winter Camp" in February 2012. This four-day camp will serve up to 60 Columbia Middle School (CMS) students.

NOVA

State Employment Figures Released

The California Employment Development Department released the state employment figures for June and the unemployment rate for the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (that includes NOVA) was 10.5 percent, a significant increase from a revised 9.9 percent in May. However, the number of jobs increased by 8,300 to 882,900 in June across most industries: professional and business services added 900 jobs compared to the previous month, information added 1,000 jobs, construction added 1,800 jobs seasonally, manufacturing added 1,400 jobs, leisure and hospitality added 1,200 jobs seasonally and government added 400 jobs. The unemployment rate for the state was 12.1 percent, up from an adjusted 11.7 percent in May and Sunnyvale’s unemployment rate was 8.9 percent, up from 8.3 percent in May.

NOVA staff and a ProMatch customer were interviewed as part of the ABC7 Sunday morning news show, "Beyond the Headlines" on July 10. This edition focused on unemployment and featured Bay Area programs that are providing assistance, http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=resources/lifestyle_community/community&id=8240427. The NOVA segment begins at the time 12:34 on the video.

OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER

Election 2011

The Nomination Period for the November 8, 2011 election began July 18 and ends at 5 p.m., August 12, 2011. As of July 26, the following potential candidates have been issued Nomination Papers by the City Clerk’s office:

Potential Candidates	Filed Form 501 Candidate Intention Statement	Issued Nomination Papers	Has Formally Filed Nomination Papers	Has Qualified for the Ballot
Seat 4
David Whittum	Yes	Yes
Seat 5
Bo Chang	Yes	Yes
Dixie Carney	Yes	Yes
Patrick Meyering	Yes	Yes
Seat 6
James W. Davis	Yes	Yes
Jack Walker	Yes	Yes
Steven A. Hoffman	Yes	Yes
Ronald S. Nowicki		Yes
Seat 7
Frederik Fowler	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Tara Martin-Milius	Yes	Yes
Bob Mortland	Yes	Yes

League of Women Voters Sets Council Candidates’ Forum

The League of Women Voters has set Monday, October 17, as the date for their Candidates’ Forum. The forum will be held in Council Chambers and will be hosted and presented by the League.  By City policy, the League is permitted to hold an impartial candidate forum in Council Chambers.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Suicide at Caltrain Station

On July 19 at 6:30 p.m., Public Safety responded to the Caltrain station at 137 San Zeno Way for a collision involving the train and a male pedestrian.  Officers arrived and located a deceased male. Witnesses at the train station observed the male walk into the path of a moving train.  Although this event occurred on the Sunnyvale and Santa Clara border, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office is responsible for all events occurring on the tracks and at train stations.  Sheriff Deputies arrived on scene and investigated the incident.  Public Safety is currently working with the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office to analyze this tragic event and look for ways to improve safety on and around our railways. 

Crime Stats Take Shape as FY 2010/11 Comes to a Close

As of June 2011, crime in the City has dropped 16 percent over this same period last year.  Preliminary statistics compiled by the Crime Analysis Unit at DPS show 423 fewer crimes occurred between July 2010 and June 2011 as compared to the same period of time last year.  The most significant reduction in crime occurred in the category of auto burglary, with a decrease of 366 incidents.

Although three out of four categories of violent crime showed statistical increases, the number of violent crimes was relatively low (FY 09/10 total = 144; FY 10/11 Total = 170).  DPS is continuing to analyze this crime data in an effort to identify trends and/or common factors. 

Public Safety has put a great deal of emphasis on the identification of crime trends.  Officers have access to almost real-time crime analysis data in the field that can assist in enforcement operations.  Armed with this data, officers have made approximately 200 more arrests and issued nearly 1,000 more citations this fiscal year as opposed to last.  DPS believes that enforcement is just one component of its "Prevention, Intervention and Enforcement" strategy and will continue to seek efforts to engage the community to enhance our safety.         

Fatal Collision

On July 26, at about 2:15 p.m., Public Safety responded to Highway 237 near Mathilda Avenue on the report of a vehicle fire following an accident. Firefighters found an overturned big-rig engulfed in flames with the driver trapped inside. Due to heavy flames in the cab, fire personnel were unable to rescue the driver and he was pronounced dead at scene.

Witnesses say the big-rig was traveling east on Highway 237 when it lost control, struck the center median, and burst into flames. It was carrying a load of dirt, which spilled onto the roadway. The accident is being investigated by the California Highway Patrol. Five Sunnyvale Fire apparatus and 11 personnel were used in this operation. Unified Command with CHP was established and used throughout this incident.

PUBLIC WORKS

Two Projects Pass ARRA Caltrans Audits

On Thursday July 21, Caltrans performed a construction administration review on two of the City’s federally funded, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) projects – Homestead Road Resurfacing and Sunnyvale Avenue Pavement Rehabilitation.  Caltrans is performing these reviews with all agencies receiving federal money in order to "raise the bar" on project administration practices and record keeping for compliance with best management practices, and to offer suggestions for improvement should the projects be selected (at random) for a Federal Highway Administration audit.  The Caltrans reviewer was impressed with the way the City managed its construction efforts, including: organized files and records, change order approval and submittal tracking system, properly completed payment requests with backup documentation, comprehensive inspector reports, and good tracking of materials used, testing performed, and bid item quantities completed. 

Kaiser Hospital Left Turn Access Update

At the July 19 Council meeting, a member of the public inquired about the status of the Kaiser Hospital Left Turn Access Study update.  As Council may recall, in October 2009 the City of Santa Clara, with the approval of the Sunnyvale City Council, completed intersection and traffic improvements at the Homestead Road/Kaiser Hospital driveway to allow left turns from the Kaiser facility onto westbound Homestead Road.  Sunnyvale has partial jurisdiction over this intersection.  As part of the Sunnyvale Council action, staff was directed to conduct a follow-on traffic study two years following completion of the improvements to ascertain changes in traffic patterns or volumes since the addition of this access.  Staff will begin data collection this coming October and anticipates presenting the findings of the analysis to the City Council by end of calendar year 2011.

Morse Avenue Park Public Presentation

On Thursday evening, July 21, staff attended the Morse Park Neighborhood Association meeting in order to provide a presentation on the progress of the Morse Avenue Park (Seven Seas Park) project. Assistant Public Works Director, Mark Rogge, and Project Manager, Chuck Neumayer, reviewed current progress and next steps for an aggressive schedule to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and regulatory requirements for the demolition of existing buildings, removal of contaminated soils for certification of unrestricted use by the Department of Toxic Substance Control (DTSC), and construction of the park.  Park construction is anticipated to start in 2013 with completion later that year.  Periodic updates will be provided to the City Council and the Neighborhood Association.  The meeting attracted over 14 residents.  Adam Berkan, Chair of the Neighborhood Association, thanked City staff for the presentation, noting, "It did a great job answering all the concerns we've had in the neighborhood."

Computerized Maintenance Management System

Late last month, Field Services/Water & Sewer answerpoint staff began using the new Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) to enter service requests called in by City residents. These requests include backed-up sewer laterals, leaking water meters, potholes on City streets and raised concrete. Our chosen system, Maintenance Connection, is still working with staff to input asset information and schedule maintenance operations.

Ultimately, the system will be used to plan for and direct resources for all preventive maintenance and construction activities undertaken by crews working on water and sewer utilities.  Application to other programs is also possible.

Ponderosa Play Structures Now Open!

The Ponderosa Playground Renovation Project is now completed. On Friday, July 22, the fences came down and the playground opened to the delight of several happy children.

The new structures include a youth area for ages five to 12, a tot structure for ages two to five, a four-bay swing structure with two swings for the youth and two for the tots. There is also a climbing structure "rock" for the five to 12-year age group. The playground is ADA compliant and replaces the old wooden structure.  The Ponderosa playground is sure to bring the young and old in for some fun times.

UTILITIES

Sewer Preventive Maintenance

Two small sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) occurred on July 15 and 16, coming on the heels of two consecutive months without any SSOs. Reports to State and Regional Water Boards indicated that not one SSO was discovered in the City during the months of May and June. Many factors may have contributed to this milestone, but the Sewer Program’s preventive maintenance activities played a large role in the success in reducing sewer overflows.

For the last two years, City Sewer crews have been hydro-flushing main sewer lines throughout the City beginning in the south end of town, with the goal of completing approximately 2 percent of the City’s 300 miles of sewer mains every month. This should result in all sewer lines being flushed on a four-year cycle.

Hydro-flushing prevents SSOs by removing roots, grease and debris from lines that have not been maintained in quite some time. By continuing to aggressively maintain the City’s sewer lines in a preventive way, staff hopes there will be more extended periods without any SSOs.

2010 Annual Report Shows Waste is Down Despite Population Increase

California's AB 939, signed into law in 1989, requires cities to divert 50 percent of the solid waste it generates. Diversion is measured against a target number of pounds of garbage disposed per day, whereas the target represents 50 percent of the waste diverted. Data from Sunnyvale's 2010 Annual Report to CalRecycle indicates that Sunnyvale is recycling more and disposing less, even though the residential population increased between 2009 and 2010. The per capita garbage disposal rates for the past two years are:

2010
3.3 lbs./person/day per resident (target is 5.0) – equates to a 67 percent diversion rate
6.3 lbs./person/day per person employed in Sunnyvale (target is 8.3) 2009
3.5 lbs./person/day per resident
6.0 lbs./person/day per person employed in Sunnyvale

The number of residents increased by 1,249 between 2009 and 2010, but the amount of garbage disposed went down by 3,120 tons. The number of workers employed in Sunnyvale decreased from 80,000 to 74,000, so that more waste was disposed per worker, even though the total amount of garbage disposed went down.

Playing a significant role in the decreased disposal amount for 2010 was that curbside recycling tons increased by 5 percent and yard trimmings increased by 3.7 percent compared to 2009.

Sunnyvale trash is still being disposed at a rate of about 85,000 tons per year – roughly 80,000 tons at Kirby Canyon Landfill and 5,000 tons at other disposal sites throughout California. The Zero Waste Strategic Plan that staff is currently working on will address this remaining tonnage by describing alternative ways to get to zero (or near zero) waste disposed. Staff plans to bring recommendations to Council in the first half of 2012.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Riverbed Moving into Vacant Office Building

Riverbed is moving into the vacant office building at 525 Almanor Drive. This building was completed in 2008 and has not yet been occupied. Riverbed is an information technology performance company for networks, applications, and storage. A building permit for the $1.925 million dollar improvement of the fifth floor was reviewed over the counter at the One-Stop Permit Center.

Good Technology Expands in Sunnyvale

Good Technology is moving into the building at 430 N. Mary Avenue. Good Technology, a mobile platform development company, received a building permit for the $1.9 million, 20,000 square foot project with over-the-counter review at the One-Stop Permit Center.

Alta Devices Project Update

Alta Devices has been working on a tenant improvement at 545 Oakmead Parkway for their manufacturing facility for a new type of photovoltaic panels. Recently, Alta Devices also received a building permit for the 15,000 square foot office portion of the same building. They plan to occupy the building within the next few months.

Building Division FY 2010/11 Year-End Activity Summary

Fiscal Year 2010/11 was a busy year for the Building Division. Construction activity has increased significantly for both residential and non-residential. Following is a summary of the activity:

Activity	FY 08/09	FY 09/10	FY 10/11
Building Permits Issued	3,644	3,774	4,219
Plans Checks	990	1,451	1,725
Construction Valuation	$272.1 million	$188.7 million	$279.2 million
Building Permit Revenue	$6.45 million	$5.33 million	$7.78

Several large projects have contributed to the increase in construction activity. Following is a summary of the current major projects:

Large Projects under Construction

• Senior Housing on Fair Oaks (124 apartment units over a two-level parking garage)
• Tasman/Fair Oaks (284 apartment units over a two-level parking garage and 50,000 square feet of retail space)
• Luminaire at Lawrence Station Road/Highway 237 (336 apartment units, two parking garages and 10,000 square feet of retail space)
• Network Appliance Building 9 (190,000 square foot building)
• Taylor Avenue townhouses (36 townhouses)
• Verona townhouses (72 townhouses at Morse Avenue and Tasman Drive)
• Morse Avenue townhouses (48 townhouses)
• Fusion Townhouses (228 townhouses on Duane Avenue)
• Palo Alto Medical Foundation (120,000 square foot medical office over two levels of underground parking on Old San Francisco Road)
• Juniper Networks campus (new high-rise office building and temporary assembly building)
• Fresh and Easy tenant improvement (new building at Fair Oaks Avenue and Tasman Drive)
• Taylor Avenue Townhouses (24 new townhouses)
• Moffett Towers shells are being completed by the owner (i.e. lobbies, restrooms, stairs, etc.) in preparation for the tenant improvements.

Large Projects in Plan Review/Pre-Application Meetings

• Capella Project (now called Solstice) on Olson Way (two buildings totaling 279 apartment units, approximately 34,000 square feet of retail, over two three-level parking garages at the former Town and Country site)
• Corn Palace Development (51 new single family homes)
• Moffett Towers has many tenant improvement projects in plan review for Motorola, Hewlett-Packard, and Microsoft.
• Second project at the former Town and Country site (mixed use)
• New high-rise office building at Moffett Towers site
• New office building at the Ariba campus

Increasing Interest in Property Redevelopment

Interest in redevelopment of property is increasing. In the past two weeks staff has met with several property owners interested in redeveloping their industrial properties. Sites    in Moffett Park and Peery Park as well as other industrial areas are being evaluated. Property owners are considering LEED Gold green building incentives for an additional   10 percent Floor Area Ratio as allowed under the green building ordinance.  Formal preliminary review applications have been submitted for a site on Kifer Road and by NetApp in Moffett Park. Smaller projects may be able to be reviewed at a staff level design review; larger sites will require Planning Commission public hearings.

San Aleso General Plan Amendment Study

In February 2011, the City Council initiated a General Plan Amendment study for the San Aleso area. Classic Communities submitted the request to study three parcels. Council authorized the initiation of the General Plan Amendment study to consider a change from Industrial to Residential, with a range of densities (Low-Medium to Medium Density), for the eastern side of San Aleso Avenue (seven industrial parcels). Recently, staff was advised that Classic Communities is no longer interested in the sites; note that four of the seven sites are on the market with interest in the potential redevelopment to residential uses.

BMR Home Sales

Seven new BMR homes are currently in escrow, all of which should close in August and September.  These include the last available BMR home at the Verona development, four BMR homes at the Lotus development, and the first available BMR homes at the Encinal and Fusion developments.  Staff is also processing two BMR resale transactions, both of which should close escrow in late August.  Additional BMR homes are available now at the Fusion and Encinal developments on a first-come, first-served basis (no waiting list).  For details please see: BMR.inSunnyvale.com

New BMR Rental Apartments at "Via" on Tasman Drive

Staff is working with Essex Property Trust, owner of the new Via apartments, to finalize  the Affordable Housing and Regulatory Agreement for the rental project located at 615 Tasman Drive.  This project will provide a total of 284 one and two-bedroom apartments, including 43 BMR units.  Staff expects Essex to sign the Affordable Housing and Regulatory Agreement this week.  

FINANCE

Update on HR 1002 – Moratorium on Taxes on Mobile Services

A letter of opposition was sent to Congresswomen Zoe Lofgren urging the Congresswoman to amend her sponsored Utility Users Tax (UUT) moratorium bill.        The letter included proposed language that could be used as an amendment which       was drafted by the League of California Cities.

The House Judiciary Committee approved HR 1002 with the proposed amendment. Without this amendment, HR 1002 would have imposed a five-year moratorium on state and local taxes on mobile services providers and would have prevented the City from updating or modernizing our Utility Users Tax concerning mobile phones. The amendment allows for an exception to the moratorium for voter approved local ordinances. Hopefully, this amendment will stay in the bill as it goes through the remainder of the legislative process. 

The City currently assesses a 2 percent UUT on intrastate telephone calls. Several California cities have gone to the voters to modernize their UUT ordinance for telecommunication services. Most recently, the City of Mountain View voters approved a modernization in 2010.

Staff will be monitoring the bill closely.

Fiscal Third Quarter Sales Tax Results Strong

Sales Tax revenues for the third fiscal quarter of FY 2010/2011 remained strong, totaling nearly $7 million, which is a 16 percent increase over the fiscal third quarter of FY 2009/ 2010.  These results are based on sales from January, February, and March.  The largest increase came in the autos and transportation category, which was up 24.5 percent compared to January – March 2010.  Business-to-business sales were also strong, up 23.6 percent over the same time period.  Based on these results, projections for final FY 2010/2011 Sales Tax revenues have been revised upward to $28.4 million, which is $1.1 million, or 4 percent, better than was projected for FY 2010/2011 in the Adopted Budget.  Final year-end results for Sales Tax will be available in mid-September.