Questions to ask your council
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 Sunnyvale'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, adopted budget and council minutes.
This year, no seat is contested
Each of the three district seats on the ballot has one qualified candidate, and in each case it's the incumbent: District 1, District 3 and District 5. The mayor and the other three seats are next up in 2028. So treat these as questions for your council member. They're just as useful before Nov 3 as after it, because the same people will be deciding these things through 2030.
Who decides each part of your bill
Sunnyvale runs its own water, sewer and garbage utilities, so the City Council decides more of your house costs than most councils do. Some costs are still set by other elected boards, and some by 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 |
| Water, sewer and garbage rates | City Council, after a Prop 218 hearing where owners can protest | Yes: City Council |
| Utility users' tax (2%) | City Council puts it on the ballot; voters approve | Yes: Council + voters |
| Police and fire (Public Safety Dept.) | City Council, through the budget and labor contracts | Yes: City Council |
| Permit and tree fees | City Council | Yes: City Council |
| School parcel taxes | School boards propose; voters approve | Yes: school boards + voters |
| Valley Water tax and its wholesale water (about 42% of the city's supply) | Valley Water board | Yes: its own elected board |
| Hetch Hetchy wholesale water (about 56% of supply) | San Francisco PUC | No: its commissioners are appointed by San Francisco's mayor |
| Electricity supply (SVCE) | SVCE board: one council member from each member city | Indirectly, through the council |
| PG&E delivery and gas rates | California Public Utilities Commission | No: appointed by the governor |
For your council member
1. Pensions
The fact: The city's two CalPERS plans were $418.8 million short at June 30, 2025: the general plan 76.9% funded and the public safety plan 72.1% funded. The city also holds $29.9 million in its own pension trust. In December 2025 a motion to cut the trust contribution by $2 million and put the money into reserves and infrastructure failed 2-4.
Ask: "How much more should the city put toward the $418.8 million pension gap each year, and what would you take it from?"
2. Planned draws vs. actual surpluses
The fact: The FY2026-27 budget plans to draw $11.4 million from general fund reserves. But FY2024-25 ended $16.8 million better than the city expected, and general fund balance rose $11.8 million that year, to $193.4 million ($129.1 million of it unassigned).
Ask: "FY2024-25 beat the plan by $16.8 million. Should the budget plan for a draw this year, and how much should the city keep in reserve?"
3. Where surplus money goes
The fact: Of the FY2024-25 surplus, $5 million went to the civic center library project. The council's choices for the rest were reserves, infrastructure and pension costs.
Ask: "When the year ends with extra money, what should come first: reserves, streets and buildings, pensions, or lower fees?"
4. Water and sewer increases
The fact: On July 1, 2026, water rates rose 7.5% and sewer rates 7%. At the public hearing, 102 owners protested; it would have taken about 15,700 written protests to block the increase. Sewer is now $934 a year for a typical house, the highest of Sunnyvale, Cupertino and Mountain View. The city's own comparison still puts its combined bill second-lowest of eight nearby cities.
Ask: "What's driving the water and sewer increases, how long will they continue, and should the protest process change?"
5. Utility tax and seniors
The fact: Sunnyvale's 2% utility users' tax brings in about $11.1 million a year. It has no senior exemption; Cupertino exempts residents 65 and older who apply.
Ask: "Should Sunnyvale exempt seniors or low-income households from the utility tax, and how would you cover the cost?"
6. Debt
The fact: The city owed $407.0 million at June 30, 2025. The general fund pays $7.5 million a year on the new Civic Center.
Ask: "Is there any new borrowing you'd support before the Civic Center debt is paid down, and for what?"
7. Public safety costs
The fact: Public Safety pay and benefits are $84.3 million in the FY2026-27 general fund, plus $7.3 million budgeted for public safety recruitment. The department had 293 of the city's 957 budgeted positions in FY2025.
Ask: "What is the $7.3 million for recruitment buying, and how will the council know if it worked?"
8. Council pay
The fact: Council members are paid $38,144 a year and the mayor $50,858. The charter raises both each January by local inflation, up to 5%. Cupertino's council is paid $8,917 and Mountain View's $16,930.
Ask: "Is the current council pay right, and should voters decide any change?"
Where council members stand on tenant relocation pay, bike lanes, license plate cameras and the service worker ordinance is covered by the PlayPotus Sunnyvale voter guide at playpotus.com/ca/sunnyvale.
How Sunnyvale compares
| Sunnyvale | Cupertino | Mountain View | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2026) | 161,884 | 59,765 | 88,533 |
| General fund per resident (FY26-27) | $1,872 | $1,838 | $2,343 |
| City's share of each property-tax dollar | ~13¢ | ~7¢ | not found |
| Unassigned reserves per resident (June 2025) | $797 | $938 | $1,831 |
| Unfunded pension per resident (June 2025) | $2,587 | $709 | $2,676 |
| Police | City Public Safety Dept. | County Sheriff contract | City police |
| Utility users' tax | 2% | 2.4%, seniors exempt | 3% |
| Largest standard garbage cart, per month | $57.67 (64 gal) | $89.00 (64 gal) | $106.60 (64 gal) |
| Sewer, per year | $934 | $826 | $738 |
| Council pay, per year | $38,144 | $8,917 | $16,930 |
Not apples to apples: Cupertino contracts for police and fire, so those workers' pensions sit with the County, not the city. Sunnyvale and Mountain View carry their own.
Also on your ballot
- Measures G, H and I are City Charter amendments. G lets the council use any contracting method state law allows for public works projects. H lets the council set how large a legal settlement the city manager can approve without a council vote, instead of the $50,000 state limit unchanged since 1989. I has an appointed council member serve until the next November election in an even year. Details at playpotus.com/ca/sunnyvale.
- School boards (Sunnyvale SD, Fremont Union HSD, Foothill–De Anza), if on your ballot: "School bonds already add about 0.10% of assessed value to every bill here, plus parcel taxes. Do you expect to ask voters for another?"
- Valley Water board, if on your ballot: "Valley Water supplies about 42% of Sunnyvale's water. What will its wholesale water rates do over the next five years, and why?"
How to use these
- Email your council member, or speak during public comment at a council meeting. A question with a number in it is hard to dodge.
- Keep it short: one fact, one ask.
- Rate increases come with a Prop 218 hearing notice in the mail. Protests must be in writing, and the notice says how to file one.
- Follow how each council member votes on money on the PlayPotus Sunnyvale city-hall page.
- City of Sunnyvale: FY2024-25 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (pp. 19, 42, 102, 137, 233)
- FY2026/27 General Fund Long Term Financial Plan · Budget adoption resolution
- CalPERS funded status, June 30, 2025 · Council minutes, Dec 9, 2025 · Silicon Valley Voice: year-end budget
- Utility rate hearing slides, June 16, 2026 · Monthly bill comparison · Valley Water: Sunnyvale water sources
- Salary Resolution, council and mayor stipends · 2026 Write-In Candidate Guidelines
- Cupertino 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.