Prior to his tenure as city manager, Steffen served as Sunnyvale’s director of public works for four years and as assistant city manager for three years. During this time, he dedicated four new city parks: Seven Seas, Swegles, Wiser and Muwékma.

Steffens was also responsible for developing and initiating the Civic Center Modernization Master Plan. This three-phase vision for the 26-acre campus has so far resulted in an addition to the Department of Public Safety’s headquarters, a new net zero-energy city hall built to LEED Platinum standards, and six acres of public open space.

Steffens was also involved with developing and executing the Sunnyvale Cleanwater Program, a long-term initiative to rebuild the city’s wastewater treatment plant and the largest capital improvement program in Sunnyvale’s history. He guided the Active Transportation Plan and Vision Zero, both of which address safety and infrastructure improvements for Sunnyvale roadways.

“It’s been such an honor to work beside our dedicated employees and city council as we’ve steered through challenges and achieved many successes,” said Steffens in a statement. “Not only have we continued Sunnyvale’s tradition of long-range planning and disciplined financial management, we’ve tackled some of the biggest projects in the city’s history.”

Mayor Larry Klein said Steffens “has been a strategic, thoughtful and productive city manager. Kent has built a great organization and leaves us in a strong, stable position to continue progress on numerous initiatives important to our community.”

In addition to Sunnyvale, Steffens has worked with the cities of Menlo Park, Palo Alto and Foster City.

Sunnyvale will begin a recruitment process for a new city manager later this spring.

The city has allocated $773,341 in Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA) funding for the WHRAP. The program will provide 24 months of rental assistance for up to 50 households at or below 30% of Housing and Community Development (HCD) income levels and who are living and/or working within city limits.

“This program reflects our unwavering commitment to ensuring that members of our community have a safety net as they face challenges associated with housing instability,” Mayor Carmen Montano said in a statement.

To be eligible for the program, applicants must be employed at the time of application; be at or below 30% of HCD area median income levels; have their housing inspected by the city of Milpitas and meet PLHA guidelines.

Eligible households must include at least one adult who lives and works in Milpitas, lives in Milpitas but works outside the city or lives outside Milpitas but works in the city.

The Milpitas City Council approved FORWARD as the program administrator to assist with community outreach, application support and screening for eligibility. FORWARD’s online application portal is available in 68 languages, and access to application support is available in multiple languages via phone, text and email.

Applicants must provide identification and a recent pay stub or other proof of income, and show proof of a current lease or documentation of residence showing evidence that establishes a pattern of paying rent.

For more information and to apply, visit www.forwardplatform.com/city-of-milpitas-workforce-housing-rental-assistance-program

The proposed ordinance would allow access to medicinal cannabis products to qualifying patients while ensuring controls are in place that maximize community safety. It remains unlawful to deliver recreational cannabis within Milpitas city limits.

Delivery of medicinal cannabis products would only be allowed to registered patients or their designated caregivers. Prior to delivering medicinal cannabis in Milpitas, delivery services would be required to obtain documentation of the customer’s medical need, such as a valid medical cannabis recommendation from a licensed healthcare provider.

Delivery services in Milpitas would be authorized to deliver only state-approved medicinal cannabis products, excluding any accessories or paraphernalia. Deliveries will only be permitted from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. to promote safety, minimize disturbances to residents and ensure compliance with local noise ordinances.

Under the proposed ordinance, which still needs council approval, delivery services would have to register with the city and obtain a valid business license. They would also be required to pay all applicable fees and taxes associated with operating within city limits, and to maintain detailed records of all deliveries as required by local and state laws.

The ordinance would be enforced through an “education first, enforcement second” approach. Those who violate the ordinance may face fines, civil penalties and prohibition from delivering within Milpitas.

Their app, Aletheia, is a real-time, browser-integrated fact-checker that allows users to validate news statements. While reading any article, users can highlight and right-click a passage to have Aletheia fact-check it. Aletheia’s research emulates the many steps that journalists would go through to fact-check a statement.

Both Aletheia and SpeakEasy are available in the Chrome App Store.

Established by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2013, the Congressional App Challenge  is designed to promote innovation and engagement in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education fields. Apps are judged on the quality of the idea, including creativity and originality; implementation of the idea, including user experience and design; and demonstrated excellence of coding and programming skills.

Each winner of the Congressional App Challenge is invited to a #HouseofCode Capitol Hill reception, and their app will be displayed in the U.S. Capitol Building and on House.gov for a year. For more information, visit CongressionalAppChallenge.us.

“Our city is home to Great Mall, the largest enclosed retail outlet shopping in Northern California,” Mayor Carmen Montano said in a statement. “We want everyone to shop with confidence knowing that the city has implemented comprehensive safety protocols to ensure that their visit is as safe as it is enjoyable. More importantly, we all need to play an active role in ensuring our own safety and the safety of those around us.”

The city is taking steps to safeguard shoppers at the Great Mall and at downtown Milpitas retailers and restaurants. The Milpitas Police Department has put measures in place to create a secure environment, such as increasing patrols in shopping areas with high foot traffic to deter criminal activities; providing tips and advice on avoiding scams, and security while shopping via city-owned social media channels, newsletters and media partners; and partnering with local businesses for workshops and training to educate retail staff on conflict resolution, identifying suspicious behavior and emergency response protocols.

What we know is that our work is most effective when it is in partnership with our community,” said Milpitas Police Chief Jared Hernandez. “We’re fortunate to have citizens and a business community that is committed to reducing crime with us.”

Residents are encouraged to remain vigilant, report any suspicious activity and practice personal safety precautions while shopping. For safety tips and more information on the city’s holiday shopping safety initiatives, visit https://www.milpitas.gov/455/Safety-Tips.

Aaryan Doshi, 16, was among five grand prize winners in Prudential Financial’s Emerging Visionaries program in May. The program honors teens ages 14-18 across the United States for leading initiatives that result in solutions to financial and societal challenges.

The Monta Vista High School student received $15,000 for his CirFin initiative that helps young people use financial technology to develop more sustainable economies. The initiative has more than 100 participants across four international chapters.

Aaryan is writing the first book in a series about taking steps to move toward a circular economy and sustainable world. He is also working on launching a podcast with a focus on interviewing individuals who share his goals.

“Through CirFin, I intend to build a global network of students and future leaders interested in the convergence of circular economy and fintech,” Aaryan said. “The take-make-waste approach of the linear economy is unsustainable. Circular economy attempts to address this by regenerating waste and keeping materials in circulation longer. However, the lack of participation and financial incentives for the poorest members of the globe impedes its success. We must bring about a generation of changemakers that use fintech to help connect these members.”

Among the projects Cirfin is tackling is using blockchain technology to track the financial value of smartphones over their recycled lifecycle.  This project harks back to the incident that led Aaryan to create Cirfin. When he saw his mom trading in her old smart phone for a new one, he asked what would happen to the trade-in and was told she would get credit for it.

“So I researched as much as possible about trading old phones, which is when I came across the circular economy concept,” Aaryan recalled. “I also understood financial and transactional literacy was equally essential to incentivize more individuals to join this movement.

“It dawned on me that the onus was on me to raise awareness of the circular economy and fintech among young people.”

The developers of Cityline, a mixed-use project on a site about three blocks from the Sunnyvale Caltrain station, are touting the  indoor miniature golf course and taproom as a place where office employees and residents can go for a respite without having to get in their cars. Tipsy Putt is located across the street from The Martin, a 12-story high-rise on West McKinley Avenue that will house 479 residential units when complete.

“Cityline is for young professionals who want to be close to work and raise a family,” said CBRE Executive Vice President Vincent Scott at a Tipsy Putt preview event ahead of its Nov. 15 grand opening. Scott and CBRE Senior Vice President Mike Benevento are overseeing office leasing at the two seven-story office buildings currently under construction.

Real estate firms Hunter Partners and Sares Regis Group of Northern California are developing Cityline. Josh Rupert, director of development for Hunter Partners, said he expects Cityline’s retail component to be a big draw. He points to the Whole Foods Market and AMC movie theater that opened during the first phase of the project and managed to survive the coronavirus pandemic.

“We’re trying to bring people in here at all times of day,” Rupert said.

While restaurants and retail are a major component of Cityline, Scott said the intention is to complement and not compete with businesses along Murphy Avenue in Sunnyvale’s nearby historic downtown.

“If they’re successful, we’ll be successful,” he added.

Scott said construction on The Martin and the two office buildings should be complete by late 2024. The 300 units in Cityline’s first two housing developments are almost all occupied, he added. Tipsy Putt is on the first floor of one of these developments.

In recent weeks, members of the public have logged in to virtual meetings in cities including Saratoga, Sacramento, Monterey, El Cerrito, Walnut Creek, Berkeley, South San Francisco and Livermore and made racist, homophobic and other prejudicial comments. These speakers often monopolized the public comment portion of the meetings.

“We stand firmly against any form of bigotry, racism or prejudice. Such views have no place in Milpitas, and we are committed to fostering an environment where all our residents feel safe, valued and included,” said Mayor Carmen Montano in a statement.

“We encourage open and respectful dialogue, where differing opinions can be shared and discussed constructively,” Chua said. “However, we draw the line at speech that seeks to divide, demean or harm Milpitas community members.”

Members of the public will be required to attend public governmental meetings in Milpitas in person if they want to comment on an agenda item. They will also continue to have the option to share comments through email and/or regular mail, but these will not be verbalized during city council meetings. However, every comment submitted will be provided to the city council and will be considered a public record.

Downtown Campbell is changing its identity, or at least the logo it uses on its identity banners.

The new logo is the work of Sally-Anne Peterson, board member for the Downtown Campbell Business Association (DCBA) and owner of Quintessential Real Estate.

While the DCBA been searching for a new look for the Downtown Campbell brand for years, the water tower logo designed by Sonya Paz over 15 years ago isn’t going to completely disappear anytime soon. Paz’s logo has been used as the identity banner for downtown Campbell since 2008. The DCBA estimates it’ll be a year or two before the transition is finished, as the website is getting an overhaul sometime in the first half of 2024.

YSI gets county grant

Santa Clara County recently approved grants for the expansion of two local youth environmental education programs: the Youth Science Institute (YSI) and O’Neill Sea Odyssey (OSO).

The nonprofit YSI  provides hands-on learning to 30,000 students annually through its science summer camps, school and community events, and safaris at its education centers in Alum Rock Park in San Jose; Sanborn County Park in Saratoga and Vasona Lake County Park in Los Gatos.

The $125,000 grant to YSI will expand the organization’s reach and cover both programming and transportation for an estimated 3,987 students.

OSO provides free firsthand marine science learning for 5,000 fourth- through sixth-graders and students with disabilities annually. The $250,000 grant from the county will enable the San Jose-based nonprofit to expand its educational programming to 80 additional classes from under-resourced Santa Clara County schools.

Sunnyvale snagged first place in the last two categories, with the study showing the city’s 4.1% unemployment rate to be one of the lowest among all the cities analyzed. The study also noted that 67% of Sunnyvale residents hold a college degree.

According to the study, at 4.4% Sunnyvale has the lowest percentage of children living below the poverty line among the top 10 Best Cities to Raise a Family in 2023, In San Francisco, the next-highest ranked California city at No. 17, this rate is more than 10%.

The study ranks Sunnyvale at No. 134 for cost of living. Ahead of the city in the overall rankings are Plano, TX, Scottdale, AZ, Arlington, VA, and Marietta, GA.

To view the complete report, visit https://www.rentcafe.com/blog/rental-market/market-snapshots/best-places-for-renter-families-2023.

Poet laureate sought

Santa Clara County is looking for its next poet laureate. The Santa Clara County Library District, in partnership with SVCREATES and Poetry Center San José, have opened the application process for the honorary post.

The poet laureate contributes to Santa Clara County’s poetry and literacy legacy through public readings and participation in civic events. The county’s eighth poet laureate will serve from January 2024 to December 2025 and will receive a stipend of $6,000 per year, a budget of $1,000 per year for reimbursable expenses and the opportunity to publish a chapbook through Poetry Center San Jose.

Applications are being accepted Aug. 11-Sept. 22 at 5 p.m. at bit.ly/SCCPoetLaureate, where eligibility criteria and other information is also available.