Questions to ask your candidates
Your household can only trim so much. The rest is decided by the people you elect. Each question below starts from a public number about Cupertino's money, and none of them assumes the right answer.
Last checked Oct 20, 2026 · We don't endorse anyone. Figures come from the city's audited reports and adopted budget.
Who decides each part of your bill
Not every cost on your house is up to the City Council. Some are set by other elected boards, some by voters directly, and some by state regulators nobody here elects.
| Cost | Who decides | Elected locally? |
|---|---|---|
| The 1% property tax | Fixed by Prop 13 (state constitution) | No one locally |
| Bond lines on the tax bill | Voters, on measures put forward by school boards and the county | Yes, by ballot measure |
| Garbage rates (Recology) | City Council, through the franchise agreement | Yes: City Council |
| Utility users' tax (2.4%) | City Council puts it on the ballot; voters approve | Yes: Council + voters |
| Police (Sheriff contract) | City Council negotiates with the County | Yes: Council and the County Board of Supervisors |
| Permit, tree and storm fees | City Council | Yes: City Council |
| Sewer ($826 a year) | Cupertino Sanitary District board | Yes: its own elected board |
| School parcel taxes | School boards propose; voters approve | Yes: school boards + voters |
| Valley Water tax and wholesale water | Valley Water board | Yes: its own elected board |
| Electricity supply (SVCE) | SVCE board: one council member from each member city | Indirectly, through the council |
| San Jose Water, Cal Water and PG&E rates | California Public Utilities Commission | No: appointed by the governor |
For City Council candidates
1. The Sheriff contract
The fact: Police service is Cupertino's largest general fund cost. The contract with the County Sheriff is $19.0 million a year; the County's latest proposal (April 2026) is about $25.5 million, a 34% increase. The city's own forecast names it as one of two reasons the budget turns to deficits in FY2029-30.
Ask: "What service level and price would you accept in the new Sheriff contract, and what would you do if the County won't come down?"
2. The utility users' tax
The fact: The 2.4% tax on electricity, gas and phone is planned to end in FY2030-31. In July 2026 a council vote to put a renewal on the ballot fell short of the four votes it needed (3-2). The forecast deficit reaches about $3.9 million a year when the tax ends.
Ask: "Would you ask voters to renew the utility tax? If not, what would you cut or raise instead to cover about $3.9 million a year?"
3. Reserves
The fact: At June 30, 2025 the city held $56.1 million in unassigned general fund balance, on top of a $24.0 million economic uncertainty reserve. City policy asks for $500,000 unassigned. In FY2024-25 the budget planned to draw $15.1 million from reserves; instead fund balance grew $15.7 million.
Ask: "How much should the city keep in reserve, and what should happen to the rest: one-time projects, paying down pensions, or lower fees?"
4. Pensions
The fact: The city's CalPERS plan was 79.3% funded, $42.4 million short, at June 30, 2025. The city also holds $24.3 million in its own pension trust that isn't counted against that gap.
Ask: "Should the $24.3 million pension trust be used to pay down the $42.4 million gap, or kept as a cushion?"
5. Depending on sales tax
The fact: Cupertino gets only about 6–7 cents of each property-tax dollar, so it relies on sales tax. After a 2023 state ruling on how Apple-related sales tax was allocated, the city expected to lose about $30 million a year, and in 2025 it refunded Apple $12.1 million under a settlement. Sales tax is still budgeted at $16.9 million in FY2026-27.
Ask: "How would you make the budget less dependent on a few large sales-tax payers?"
6. Garbage pricing
The fact: A 64-gallon garbage cart costs $89.00 a month in Cupertino, $106.60 in Mountain View, and $57.67 for Sunnyvale's large cart. Cupertino's current 10-year agreement with Recology was negotiated in 2020–21, and the council approves its rates.
Ask: "When the Recology agreement comes up, what would you push for: lower rates, more free services, or pricing that rewards smaller carts?"
7. A 3-2 budget
The fact: The FY2026-27 budget ($109.9 million general fund) passed 3-2 on June 16, 2026. It plans a $339,539 draw from fund balance.
Ask: "Would you have voted for this year's budget? What one line would you change?"
8. Council pay
The fact: Cupertino council members are paid $743.07 a month ($8,917 a year), a rate set in 2017. Sunnyvale's council members are paid $38,144 a year and Mountain View's $16,930.
Ask: "Should council pay change, and should voters decide?"
Where candidates stand on housing, The Rise (Vallco) and builder's-remedy lawsuits is covered by the PlayPotus Cupertino voter guide and its match quiz at playpotus.com/ca/cupertino.
How Cupertino compares
| Cupertino | Sunnyvale | Mountain View | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2026) | 59,765 | 161,884 | 88,533 |
| General fund per resident (FY26-27) | $1,838 | $1,872 | $2,343 |
| City's share of each property-tax dollar | ~7¢ | ~13¢ | not found |
| Unassigned reserves per resident (June 2025) | $938 | $797 | $1,831 |
| Unfunded pension per resident (June 2025) | $709 | $2,587 | $2,676 |
| Police | County Sheriff contract | City Public Safety Dept. | City police |
| Utility users' tax | 2.4%, seniors exempt | 2% | 3% |
| 64-gal garbage cart, per month | $89.00 | $57.67 | $106.60 |
| Sewer, per year | $826 | $934 | $738 |
| Council pay, per year | $8,917 | $38,144 | $16,930 |
Not apples to apples: Cupertino contracts for police and fire, so those workers' pensions sit with the County, not the city. That's a big part of why its pension gap per resident is lower and why the Sheriff contract matters so much.
If these are on your ballot
- Cupertino Sanitary District board: "Sewer rose 3% this year to $826.20. What's driving the increases, and how long will they continue?"
- School boards (Cupertino Union, Fremont Union HSD, Foothill–De Anza): "Bonds already add about 0.11% of assessed value to every bill here. Do you expect to ask voters for another bond or parcel tax?"
- Valley Water board: "The Safe, Clean Water tax is $82.41 a year. What has it paid for in our area, and who should qualify for the senior exemption?"
How to use these
- Ask at a candidate forum, on a campaign's website or by email. A question with a number in it is hard to dodge.
- Keep it short: one fact, one ask.
- After the election, follow how each council member votes on money on the PlayPotus Cupertino city-hall page.
- City of Cupertino: FY2026-27 Adopted Budget (pp. 26, 76, 100, 105–106)
- City of Cupertino: FY2024-25 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (pp. 26, 93)
- City Council minutes, June 16, 2026 · Council actions, July 21, 2026
- CalPERS funded status · Elected Officials' Compensation Program
- Mercury News: Cupertino refunds Apple $12.1M
- Sunnyvale and Mountain View figures: each city's FY2026-27 budget and FY2024-25 audited report, as published on PlayPotus city-hall pages.
Facts are checked against the public sources listed on each page. Rates change every year; each page shows when it was last checked. Individual bills are confidential in California, so personal numbers are estimates from public rates. Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.