City of Sunnyvale  
Meeting Minutes  
Charter Review Committee  
Thursday, November 6, 2025  
5:00 PM  
Online and Redwood Conference Room,  
City Hall, 456 W. Olive Ave., Sunnyvale,  
CA 94086  
CALL TO ORDER  
Chair Larsson called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m.  
SALUTE TO THE FLAG  
Chair Larsson led the salute to the United States flag.  
ROLL CALL  
Present: 9 - Chair Gustav Larsson  
Vice Chair Kristel Wickham  
Member Galen Kim Davis  
Member Kathryn Filley  
Member David Newswanger  
Member Timothy Oey  
Member Ken Olevson  
Member Gail Rubino  
Member Barry Vickrey  
Absent: 1 - Member Martin Pyne  
Committee Member Pyne's absence is an excused absence.  
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS  
No speakers.  
CONSENT CALENDAR  
Public Comment opened at 5:06 p.m.  
No speakers.  
Public Comment closed at 5:06 p.m.  
MOTION: Committee Member Olevson moved and Committee Member  
Newswanger seconded the motion to approve agenda item 1.A as submitted and  
agenda item 1.B as amended.  
The motion carried with the following vote:  
Yes: 8 - Chair Larsson  
Vice Chair Wickham  
Member Filley  
Member Newswanger  
Member Oey  
Member Olevson  
Member Rubino  
Member Vickrey  
No: 0  
Absent: 1 - Member Pyne  
Abstain: 1 - Member Davis  
1.A  
25-0236  
Approve the Charter Review Committee Meeting Minutes of  
September 25, 2025  
Approve the Charter Review Committee Meeting Minutes of September 25, 2025  
as submitted.  
1.B  
25-0588  
Approve the Charter Review Committee Meeting Minutes of  
October 23, 2025  
Approve the Charter Review Committee Meeting Minutes of October 23, 2025 as  
amended.  
PUBLIC HEARING/GENERAL BUSINESS  
2
25-1055  
Discuss and Provide Feedback on Subcommittee Draft Report  
Regarding City Council Vacancies  
Members Newswanger and Vickrey provided the Subcommittee report.  
Committee Members provided comments or questions related to the Subcommittee  
report on City Council Vacancies:  
- Comment that the cost of a primary election is greater than that of a general  
election, and questions about who incurs the cost and why there is a cost  
difference.  
- Question about whether staff should request an election cost estimate from the  
Registrar of Voters.  
- Question about whether any of the scenarios in the report include an individual  
being appointed to a term greater than two years.  
Subcommittee Members and staff provided comments or answers:  
- Comment that the report references the cost to the city and that the cost of a  
primary election varies based on numerous factors (e.g. number of measures on  
the ballot).  
- Comment that the Registrar of Voters provides cost estimates for specific  
scenario-based elections. The request would need to include parameters such as  
general or primary election, mayor or councilmember, and any additional  
parameters.  
- Comment that if a seat becomes vacant immediately after the deadline to call for  
an election, then the appointment could be for more than two years.  
Public Hearing opened at 5:34 p.m.  
Zachary Kaufman spoke about the advantage of incumbency on appointees who  
then run for election, and voiced support for making appointees ineligible for  
voter-elected municipal positions while serving on Council or for some time after  
serving on Council.  
Steve Scandalis shared a presentation related to Sunnyvale City Council vacancies  
between 1980 and 2025, commented that the Subcommittee report identified an  
illegal option that could occur, and suggested revisions for the Committee’s  
consideration.  
Public Hearing closed at 5:38 p.m.  
Committee Members provided additional comments or questions:  
- Question about whether appointees could be prohibited from running for election.  
- Question whether the Committee could hear additional information about an  
“illegal option” that was referenced by a member of the public.  
Staff provided comments or answered questions:  
- An appointee cannot be prevented from running for election. Council can ask  
questions and consider the responses of potential appointees in making their  
appointment decision.  
Public Hearing reopened at 5:42 p.m.  
Steve Scandalis commented that eliminating or choosing a particular election  
based on which voters will turn out equates to “picking” voters based on racial  
identification.  
Public Hearing closed at 5:45 p.m.  
Subcommittee Members and staff provided comments:  
- Comment that the Committee has not discussed or considered any data related to  
which voters turn out for elections, and that the analysis of the report covers how  
many voters will turn out, not which voters.  
- Comments that the Subcommittee did not review any demographic data and that  
the Subcommittee only considered the quantity of voters at primary and special  
elections, not the demographics of voters.  
3
25-1056  
Discuss and Provide Feedback on Subcommittee Draft Report  
Regarding City Council Compensation  
Member Davis provided the Subcommittee report.  
Committee Members provided comments or questions related to the Subcommittee  
report on City Council Compensation:  
- Question whether the American Community Survey (ACS) data is current.  
- Comment that the ACS data is from 2023, and potentially the median salary may  
be higher because of inflation.  
- Comment in support of the Committee recommending a single preferred option for  
Council consideration rather than multiple options.  
- Comments in support of conducting professional polling on this potential Charter  
amendment.  
- Comment in support of establishing a review committee that would evaluate the  
figures periodically.  
- Comment in support of Option 3 that sets a fixed salary wage and indexes a  
specific consumer price index (CPI).  
- Question whether a salary figure could be included in the Charter and later  
updated by a review committee/appointed body, or the changes must go before the  
voters.  
Member Davis and staff provided comments or answers:  
- Comment that the data in the ACS is the best choice for figures that are specific to  
Sunnyvale.  
- Comment that one can anticipate that the median salary may be 3-5% higher for  
2024.  
- Comment in support of the Committee recommending that Council conduct  
professional polling on this potential Charter amendment.  
- Comment that staff recommend the Committee provide clear direction (salary  
figure) for inclusion in the Charter rather than referencing an index, such as ACS,  
because an index could cease to exist.  
- Comment that a Charter provision related to a salary review committee would  
need to be established. The Charter language would define the committee's  
authority and include details such as its formation, the number of members, and its  
purview.  
Public Hearing opened at 6:32 p.m.  
Zachary Kaufman expressed concern about offering a salary significantly above  
neighboring cities' because it may attract career politicians.  
Steve Scandalis shared a presentation outlining revisions to the draft report for the  
Committee’s consideration.  
Public Hearing closed at 6:39 p.m.  
Committee Members provided additional comments or questions:  
- Comment that establishing a review committee would require substantial  
language in the Charter since voters would be delegating their authority to a  
committee.  
- Comments that establishing a policy and process related to a review committee is  
complex, and that time constraints would prevent proper research of this item by  
the Committee.  
- Comment in support of recommending councilmember salary be set at $60,000.  
- Comment in support of salary increases commencing at the next  
election/beginning of the councilmember’s term.  
- Comment in support of resetting the salary baseline in the Charter, and no  
additional revisions to be made to the section.  
- Comments in support of recommending the salary increase commencing after the  
next election for each Council district.  
Chair Larsson polled the Committee on salary increases commencing when the  
district is next up for a general election. A consensus was not reached.  
Chair Larsson polled the Committee on salary increases commencing two years  
(January 2028) after the 2026 Election. A consensus was not reached.  
Chair Larsson polled the Committee on the salary increases commencing after the  
2026 election in January 2027. A consensus was reached.  
Chair Larsson polled the Committee to retain the current Charter language related  
to the cost-of-living adjustment. A consensus was reached.  
Chair Larsson polled the Committee to recommend that the councilmember salary  
be set at $72,000 and the mayor's salary at $108,000. A consensus was reached.  
The Subcommittee report will be revised to recommend:  
- That the salary increases commence after the 2026 election, in January 2027;  
- Retaining the current Charter language related to cost of living adujustment;  
- That the councilmember salary be set at $72,000 and the mayor’s salary be set at  
$108,000; and  
- Professional polling on this potential Charter amendment be conducted.  
NON-AGENDA ITEMS AND COMMENTS  
-Committee Member Comments  
None.  
-Staff Comments  
Deputy City Manager Connie Verceles announced that the next Committee meeting  
is scheduled for Thursday, December 4 at 5 p.m., and that Subcommittee reports  
are due by Wednesday, November 19.  
ADJOURNMENT  
Chair Larsson adjourned the meeting at 7:40 p.m.