Eight Candidates Vie for Three Cupertino Council Seats on Nov. 3

Voters in Cupertino are choosing from 8 candidates for 3 City Council seats on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in a municipal election focused on administrative stability, state affordable housing mandates, and civic collaboration across Silicon Valley.

Nine City Managers in 10 Years Under Scrutiny

In a commentary published by San José Spotlight, former Cupertino Mayor, councilmember, and school board trustee Dolly Sandoval—a retired math teacher and alumna of the Cupertino Union School District, Fremont Union High School District, De Anza College, and UC Santa Cruz—urged voters to elect J.R. Fruen, John Tang, and Seema Lindskog to the City Council:

• Administrative Turnover & Grand Jury Reports: Sandoval noted that representatives aligned with the Better Cupertino political group have held a controlling council majority for 8 of the past 10 years, a period during which Cupertino cycled through 9 city managers and was the subject of multiple Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury reports documenting open meeting law violations and governance issues.
• Greg Larson's Six-Month Tenure: Greg Larson—who served more than 20 years as a local government executive, including as city manager of Los Gatos and Milpitas, deputy city manager and environmental services director of San Jose, and president of the California city managers' professional association—was the fifth of those 9 Cupertino city managers in 10 years, serving 6 months as interim city manager in 2021 and describing the role as the toughest job he ever had despite praising the city's professional staff.
• Community Partnerships: Sandoval wrote that electing Fruen, Tang, and Lindskog would help Cupertino meet state affordable housing requirements, advance a town center plan, and rebuild relationships with the Foothill-De Anza Community College District, the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club of Cupertino, and volunteer sister-city groups.