REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Approval of Councilmember Eileen Le's Request for 14-Weeks of Parental Leave
Report
BACKGROUND & DISCUSSION
Councilmember Eileen Le requests that Council approve 14 weeks (September 29 to December 31, 2025) for parental leave pursuant to Section 606(a) of the Sunnyvale City Charter, which provides that "... the office of ... Councilmember shall become vacant when that official ... (2) Is absent from all regular meetings of the Council for a period of sixty days consecutively from and after the last regular Council meeting attended by such member, unless by permission of the Council expressed in its official minutes".
The 14-week period will occur in calendar year 2025. During the approved period of leave, Councilmember Le's absences will be considered "excused absences", and her stipend and benefits will continue under Section 605 of the City Charter.
During the leave of absence, Councilmember Le will not be participating in City business in her capacity as a Councilmember. Her intergovernmental relations and Board & Commission assignments would be covered by alternates.
As elected officials who are not employed on a full-time basis, Councilmembers are not covered by state and federal laws that require employers to provide family and pregnancy leave. Therefore, the provisions of the Sunnyvale City Charter apply to Councilmembers' leave requests. Historically, the Council granted former Councilmember Melinda Hamilton's requests for parental leave in 2004 and 2006 (three months each time) and Councilmember Alysa Cisneros' request for parental leave in 2024 (15 weeks). In addition, when former Councilmember Otto Lee was deployed to Iraq for 13 months in 2009-2010, the City Council followed California Military and Veterans Code Section 395.8 to appoint a temporary interim Councilmember to fill for his seat until he returned.
Councilmember Le may also participate remotely in up five meetings per year for "just cause" under Gove...
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