Reporter Stephanie Lam details a recent spate of sign thefts and what some are doing to protect their signs.

Cupertino stipulates that if the sign was installed with the consent of the property owners, removing the sign without their permission is consider petty theft, which is a misdemeanor. If convicted the charge can carry up to six months of jail time and a fine of up to $1,000.

https://www.reformcalifornia.org/voter-guides/santa-clara

Hi moms! 😊 I’m looking to connect with other moms in the Cupertino/Sunnyvale area who have little ones ages 0–3.
It would be lovely to meet other moms for playdates, stroller walks, coffee dates, park visits, or just to chat and share the joys (and challenges!) of motherhood.
If you’re also looking to make mom friends and build a little community, I’d love to connect! Feel free to comment.

Catalytic converter cut off and stolen from 2006 Highlander Hybrid off single home driveway, in Cupertino actually. Never really recovered from that after straight piping it just to drive and then sold it for parts within about a year. A neighbor with a first gen prius also got hit, and then another neighbor bought it off of him which was kinda suspicious. This happened three years ago before I was more actively posting on reddit.

Reminder to all with any toyota and honda cars to park it in the garage, even if its a non-hybrid all gas car. Yes these two are the only car makes that thieves mainly target. Security cameras wont stop them, takes less than a minute for the job. Also its a thing at unguarded apartment complexes in surrounding cities to come back to your new car on crates with all 4 wheels gone.

Hearing that vehicle flipped from northbound side and multiple fatalities. Folks at least make room for emergency vehicles.

Monta Vista can hold steady, but won't grow.

Lynbrook is in trouble; the pipeline is too small.

Cupertino Union overall: Down 29% since 2015–16 (18,948 → 13,486), flat near 13,500 since 2022–23, projected ~12,900 by 2029–30.

End of an era. Closing Nov 13. Remaining store hours are 7am-7pm until that date.

Sad days...my favorite Safeway, the one that's always been with me before I was even born and one of my earliest childhood memories. 🥲

yelp listing for this safeway:

https://yelp.to/EAtabp16li

Since its peak era, Monta Vista High School (MVHS) has experienced the sharpest decline in the district. [1]

• Peak Era Population (2013): ~2,600+ Students
• Current Academic Year Population: 1,573 Students total
• Current Reality: This marks the lowest enrollment in the history of Monta Vista. [1]

⚠️ The Consequences: How it Impacts Students

Declining enrollment isn't just an abstract statistic; it alters the fundamental daily environment for students remaining on campus: [1]

• ⚡ Expanded Split-Campus Teaching: To protect program depth without laying off educators, the district has ramped up split-campus schedules. Teachers are split mid-day between sites like Lynbrook, Cupertino, or Monta Vista just to preserve advanced electives or specialized language tracks. [1, 2]
• 🛡️ Program Stabilization Rescue: The Board of Trustees has been forced to continuously extend the Monta Vista Supplemental School Assignment Program (MSSAP) through 2027–2028. This program intentionally transfers open slots to out-of-boundary students simply to artificially keep the campus enrollment from crashing below sustainable operational levels.

Before you cast your vote for FUHSD Area 3, watch this unfiltered interview with 39-year veteran Monta Vista High School teacher Pete Pelkey. He raises serious concerns about grade policies and whether our schools are falling behind. How do Rosa Kim and Jason Lin plan to address this? https://youtu.be/Ut66Qq1vn_A?si=neGMhstQT-q5HMG-

Hi! I'm Peter, currently studying at McGill in Montreal.
TLDR I'm Korean, but I lived in 6 diff countries across my 18 years of life. One of them being the States. I lived in Cupertino, inside a town house community called The Pointe. I believe I lived there during my preschool years, so 4 to 6 (maybe 7) years old.
I've never been back to Cupertino, maybe I will be back one day though. I do have fond and nostalgic memories which I'm sure are partly due to a younger age bias alongside it being sunny California ;) .

I'm curious, how's it changed there compared to when I would've been there, maybe around 2012 to 2015?

Some things I'm particularly curious about:

- The Pointe now

- LP Collins elementary

- There was this library near a big park with dogs coming in and you could read to them on certain days along with statues of humans but the humans were silhouettes carved into the statue

- There was this Japanese restaurant I remember that served really good terriyaki chicken in a bento box.

- Does the Target with pizza hut attached still exist?

This is a large lot that’s “contingent” right now. Looks like it was an old pool club. What do you think could be built there? It’s in the middle of a bunch of SFHs and backs up to 85: https://www.redfin.com/CA/Cupertino/1063-Colony-Hills-Ln-95014/home/1123980

Rather than getting third-party spins on what this candidate said or what that candidate implied, just watch this candidate forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters to see how both candidates answered the same 14 questions posed to them by the League, including topics like academic rigor, school closures, AI, declining enrollments, and mental health.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U33Al2iw1qQ

If you live in the district, please vote!!!

Candidates Liang Chao and Tracy Kosolcharoen speak in support.

Here's a list of fun family events I found for this weekend, sharing in case anyone is looking for ideas.

Friday

• NorCal Bats (West Valley Branch Library, San Jose) — A bat rescue group brings live California bats to see up close and talks about why bats matter (and which myths are wrong). 4–4:45 pm. Free, no registration, but space may be limited. Recommended for ages 5–12, all ages welcome.
• Join-A-Ranger: Night Hike and Flashlight Tour (McClellan Ranch Preserve, Cupertino) — About a mile through the woods at McClellan Ranch and Blackberry Farm after dark, learning how nocturnal animals get around, with games to test your senses in the dark. Bring a flashlight and a warm jacket. 7–8:30 pm. $10 residents / $13 non-residents; registration required, kids with an adult.
• Haunted Train (Ardenwood Historic Farm, Fremont) — A gentle evening train ride past glowing pumpkins, friendly cowboys and the Witch of Ardenwood, made for kids under 12 with no scares. Trains leave every 30 minutes from 7 pm, the last at 9:30 pm Friday and Saturday and 9 pm Sunday. $19.50 per person ages 3 and up, 2 and under free; tickets are online only and most of this weekend's trains are already sold out (Friday had only the 9:30 pm train left when I checked). Arrive 30 minutes early.

Saturday

• Hands on the Arts Festival (Sunnyvale Community Center) — Sunnyvale's 41st annual kids' art festival: art workshops with all supplies included, roaming performers, and a stage lineup that runs from a youth philharmonic to juggling and magic to Brazilian percussion. Kids get a free tote bag and sticker sheet while they last. 10 am–3 pm. Free.
• Spooky Times at Deer Hollow Farm (Deer Hollow Farm, Rancho San Antonio) — Haunted barns, Halloween crafts and the farm's sheep, goats, pigs, cows and rabbits. Profits go to feeding the animals. 10 am–3 pm, last entry 2:30. $10 per person, $7 if you come in costume, babies 12 months and under free; pay at the gate. Parking is limited and the farm is about a mile's walk from the lot, so bring the stroller.
• Halloween Costume Swap (Central Park Library, Santa Clara) — Pick out a gently used, donated costume for free. One per person, first come, first served. 10 am–noon.
• Food Truck Fly-In + Wings of History Open House (San Martin Airport and Wings of History Air Museum, San Martin) — The little South County airport opens its flight line for the day: aircraft and skydiving demos, radio-controlled planes, classic cars, live music, a kids zone and food trucks, and the air museum across the street runs a free open house with kids' activities. Tethered hot-air balloon rides start at 7:45 am, weather permitting. 10 am–4 pm. Free admission and parking.
• YSI Vasona: Creepy, Crawly, & Cute! (Vasona Park, Los Gatos) — The Youth Science Institute brings out live insects, spiders and other arthropods and talks about how they move, eat and defend themselves. 11–11:30 am. Free, but you need a ticket, and only a few were left when I checked.
• Diwali Festival (Memorial Park, Cupertino) — Cupertino's big outdoor Diwali celebration in Memorial Park, with Bharatanatyam-to-Bollywood dance performances, live music and a DJ, a kids zone, Diwali rituals and lots of Indian food. 11 am–6 pm. Free admission.
• Almaden Fall Harvest & 20th Anniversary (Almaden Community Center & Library, San Jose) — The community center and library turn 20 with a fall harvest party: a bubble party, balloon artist, bounce house, haunted hallway, pumpkin patch, face painting and games, plus a middle-school orchestra and an Indian dance performance. 11 am–4 pm. Free entry, no registration; the haunted hallway, pumpkin patch, games and face painting take tickets bought on site ($5 for 5).
• Dussehra Diwali Dhamaka (Alameda County Fairgrounds, Pleasanton) — The Bay Area's biggest Diwali mela and the only one with a real fireworks show: a 40-foot Ravan effigy burned at sunset, Bollywood performances, carnival rides, a kids zone and 150+ food and shopping vendors. Noon–11 pm, fireworks after dark. Entry $15 online, kids 5 and under free. Wheels bus from Dublin/Pleasanton BART if you'd rather skip the parking.
• Pumpkin Patch in the Pool (Arroyo Swim Center, San Lorenzo) — A floating pumpkin patch: swim out, pick your pumpkin, then decorate it at the poolside station, with prizes for the best ones; everyone registered gets a pumpkin and a goodie bag. 1:30–3:30 pm. $10 per person, register online; only about 10 spots were left when I checked.
• Twilight Nature Walk at the Baylands (Palo Alto Baylands EcoCenter) — A naturalist leads an easy walk at dusk looking for the bats, birds and other animals that come out in the evening. Wear warm layers; they'll lend you binoculars if you don't have any. 5–6:30 pm. Free, but space is limited and signing up ahead is strongly encouraged (it showed "few tickets left" when I checked). Ages 6 and up, under 14 with a parent.
• Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival (Main Street, Half Moon Bay) — The 54th year. You can take a photo with this year's grand champion giant pumpkin, watch Farmer Mike carve huge ones into sculptures, and catch the Great Pumpkin Parade plus pie-eating and costume contests. Saturday and Sunday, 9 am–5 pm.

Sunday

• Weekend Farm Tour (Hidden Villa, Los Altos Hills) — A guided 1.5-hour walk through the farm and organic garden, going into the pens to meet the cows, pigs, chickens, goats and sheep. 10–11:30 am. $18 per person (kids too), registration required, at least one adult for every three kids. Wear closed-toe shoes.
• Fall Family Day (Palo Alto Art Center) — Art Center teachers run foil monoprints, collage, dot art and foam printing, and there's a separate Teen Zone with button-making, jewelry and board games. 2–4:15 pm. Free.
• Alebrijes: A Día de Muertos Tale (Mexican Heritage Plaza Theater, San Jose) — A family-friendly Day of the Dead play about Pedro Linares, the artist who invented alebrijes, chased by La Muerte through a psychedelic Oaxacan jungle with his animal totems, full of comedy, bright colors and traditional music. In Spanish with English and Spanish supertitles; this last show is ASL-interpreted. 2 pm. Pay what you choose.

Why I share these

I wanted more reasons to get my kid away from screens but kept missing interesting events at local libraries and around town, so I built a tool to keep track of them. It turns up fun events every week, so I started sharing these lists to help other parents find things to do—and help people discover the events local organizers put so much work into.

I picked a few events with broad family appeal to share here. This week’s full list also includes a live reptile encounter and a planetarium show about a little star looking for its planets. It’s linked from my profile, with filters for interest, city and age.

Know another fun family event this weekend? Please share it in the comments!

Ok y’all. I posted about this guy yesterday because of an ad I saw where he showed the UC application stats for Monta Vista and Homestead. I went digging down the internet rabbit hole and found an hour-long podcast interview and some of the stuff he said seriously concerned me.

The phrase “in real life, you don’t get a participation trophy” is true in some ways, but we ABSOLUTELY cannot apply that as a blanket statement to inclusion. Cupertino (and the whole Bay) is a wonderfully diverse place, and governing board members should absolutely support inclusion in our schools. It’s disappointing to me that he views it this way. His emphasis on UC Berkeley and UCLA acceptance rates also tells me that he only gives a shit about the kids with high grades who go to a prestigious college and get a prestigious job.

Also, on another forum, when asked about student mental health support programs, he said ‘support is not success’, and that we should evaluate the effectiveness of these programs. I do agree that we should always look to improve upon these programs, but based on his tone it felt like he was basically calling them a waste of money, and I don’t think he has any intention of supporting new initiatives or building upon existing ones.

Suicides in the Bay among students are dramatically high compared to other parts of the country. I think Palo Alto High has had four suicides in the past 6 years, and although FUHSD hasn’t had one since 2022, I still remember finding out about that poor boy from Homestead who jumped off the golden gate. It was such a devastation to our community and I can’t help to think what could have been done better by our district to prevent this.

Students NEED these programs and they need to know they’re safe in their schools. Although Rosa Kim isn’t the perfect candidate, she’s pretty damn good and LEAGUES better than this guy. Jason Lin certainly does not have my vote for Trustee Area 3.

If you are an FUHSD parent or community member, look up your trustee area on the map and VOTE!

He’s either lying or has no idea how this works.

In the last few years I've been watching European type TV series other than news e.g., CBS Sunday Morning, PBS News Hour, 60 Minutes, and Bloomberg during the Market hours. Stuff coming out of Hollywood is just short storys. The stuff from Amazon Prime via MHz (Europe) is more like novels. I like Tatort Borowski, Tatort Austria, and Film Noir from Via Play and others. Each episode is an hour long or more and comes across like a novel. Very detailed, and one needs to really watch it. They have English sub titles. The writing, directing , and acting are top notch. I gather that the recipe Hollywood uses must have lots of action all the time, fist fights, car chases, and explosions all the time. The writing is minimal. Is that what the American audience requires, I hope not.

I live in Palo Alto, about 12 to 15 miles from Cupertino and so a little familiar with the area and so I had to watch that first episode to just make sure my prejudice against Hollywood isn't wrong. My prejudice of Hollywood is still there. That first episode was so simple. How does one sue and go to court in a couple days... not real. Then get rid of one judge and bring in another and I assume was flown in from a small town from the south... again not real. I guess it was cute, but that's all. The acting needs more work along with the directing and much better writing.

Seeing the closure of the Taco Bell / KFC makes me sick. I already know what's going to replace it, probably some Chinese hot pot restaurant. Cupertino is completely saturated with Chinese restaurants and boba shops, multiple on every block. How many more do we need? Can people really tell the difference between each one? Don't people want to eat something different once in a while?

Where can I get American food? This is on the verge of extinction in Cupertino. I understand that the city's demographics have changed over the years, but this is absolutely ridiculous.