Sunol Citizens Advisory Council Meeting – April 16, 2026
Sunol Citizens Advisory Council Meeting – April 16, 2026
The Sunol Citizens Advisory Council (CAC) met on April 16, 2026, at 6:30 PM. The meeting covered a wide range of topics including public safety, downtown revitalization, a proposed office for unincorporated communities, land-use permits, cell tower compliance, and wayfinding signage. Several votes were taken, and follow-up actions were assigned.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Andrea Turnbull, a 27-year Sunol resident, shared a story about the company Teradyne’s CEO who championed asking “What’s the benefit?” to drive quality. She encouraged the council to use that question throughout the evening.
Discussion Items
Law Enforcement Monthly Report (Item 1A)
- Deputy Edwards presented the monthly report. Statistics included: 33 traffic citations, 16 calls for service, 78 business/patrol checks. An uptick in stolen vehicles dumped on Palmers Road was noted. Vehicle break-ins at Sheridan Road (4–5 incidents) are under investigation. Edwards also addressed continued calls about a shooting range in the Niles Canyon agricultural area; the range is legal as it is on private property and operated safely.
Council and Staff Comments (Item 3)
- Councilmember noted that PG&E will hold an open house on May 13 to discuss undergrounding and hardening electrical lines on Kilkare Road.
- County memos (3A, 3B) regarding meeting deadlines and advisory council operations were discussed. A public commenter questioned their benefit; staff clarified they were sent countywide due to misunderstandings at other councils, not because Sunol has an issue.
- Staff reported a successful bulky waste pickup day on April 11, though turnout was lower than usual, likely due to rain.
On-Site Wastewater Treatment System Downtown Project (Item 4A)
- Councilmember Connie DeGrange and consultant Lilia Walsh presented the fifth and final memo of the feasibility study for a community wastewater system, focused on downtown. Alternatives 3 and 4 were highlighted. Alternative 3 provides restrooms only at the train station and Depot Gardens; Alternative 4 adds parking capacity by rebuilding the leach field (estimated total facilities cost: $1.659 million, annual O&M: $44,000). Pacific Locomotive Association (train operators) expressed interest in contributing financially and in-kind labor, and desire restrooms built in a Mediterranean style. The council discussed maintenance, insurance, liability, and the importance of parking for downtown businesses. No vote was taken; the council agreed to gather more information from the train station and explore grants (e.g., state revolving fund, USDA). Members expressed general support for Alternative 4 if funding can be secured.
Office of Unincorporated Communities (Item 4B)
- Brianne Gala presented her research and recommendations for establishing a three-year pilot Office of Unincorporated Communities within the County Administrator’s Office. The office would address coordination gaps, improve communication, and support the advisory councils. After discussion, councilmembers voiced strong concerns that rural Sunol (0.7% of unincorporated population) would be overshadowed by the urban communities. A motion was made to recommend approval with an amendment excluding rural areas from the office’s scope. The motion passed 5-0 (Councilmember Connett abstained? Actually all approved: Connett, Harrison, McLean, Start, DeGrange all voted approved with amendment). The council clarified they support the office for urban unincorporated areas but not for rural Sunol.
Conditional Use Permit – Multi-Use Rental Space (Item 4C)
- William from the Planning Department presented a CUP (PLN 2026-00010) that consolidates several uses (personal services, food/beverage, micro-event venue, office) under one permit for the building at 11583 Main Street. This streamlines future business changes. The CAC voted 5-0 to recommend approval to the Board of Supervisors. Councilmember Connett abstained from voting. The permit includes conditions from Environmental Health regarding septic capacity.
Wayfinding Signs Update (Item 4D)
- The prototype sign installed at Main Street and Kilkare drew community comments: many said it was too small, but staff explained it is designed for pedestrians, not drivers. The bigger concern was the cluttered background behind the sign. The council agreed to work with code enforcement to remove non-conforming signs, banners, and abandoned business signs to let the wayfinding sign stand out. The item was continued to the May meeting for further community feedback.
Cell Tower Camouflage Follow-Up (Item 4E)
- Michael Fleming and Rodrigo from the Planning Department presented a status update on nine cell tower sites. Of these, four were found out of compliance with camouflage conditions. Those four will be referred to code enforcement for citations. The site at 11640 Pleasanton-Sunol Road (PLN 2022-00125) was noted as problematic because three carriers share the tower; a request for an oak tree camouflage was not included in the approval. The council pushed for enforcement and requested regular updates. They also asked for a list of tower owners who have failed to meet conditions.
Telecommunications Facility Renewal (Item 4F)
- Michael Fleming presented a renewal request (PLN 2025-00153) for T-Mobile at 5764 Mission Road. The current permit expires September 2026. The applicant offered two camouflage options: faux foliage sleeves (Exhibit B) and green slats. The CAC voted 5-0 to recommend approval, with a condition that camouflage per Exhibit B be implemented. The applicant stated they can complete the work within 120 days after permit approval.
Key Outcomes
- Vote (4B): Recommend establishing the Office of Unincorporated Communities as a pilot, with an amendment excluding rural areas from its scope – passed unanimously (5-0).
- Vote (4C): Recommend approval of CUP PLN 2026-00010 for multi-use rental space at 11583 Main Street – passed unanimously (5-0; Connett abstained).
- Vote (4F): Recommend approval of renewal for T-Mobile site at 5764 Mission Road, with condition to add faux foliage camouflage – passed unanimously (5-0).
- Referral (4E): Code enforcement will cite four cell tower sites for non-compliance with camouflage conditions; staff will follow up on the Oak tree request at 11640 Pleasanton-Sunol Road.
- Continued Item (4D): Wayfinding sign discussion continued to May 2026 meeting; code enforcement to address sign clutter downtown.
- Next Steps (4A): Staff to meet with train station to clarify financial participation and explore grant opportunities; public input will continue.
Note: The transcript indicates the meeting started at 6:30 PM on April 15, 2026, but this summary uses the provided official date of April 16, 2026, per the instruction.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, let's start the meeting at 6 30 on April 15th. Okay. Um would you want to talk about the comments or that roll call first? Do we'll call first? Okay. Councilmember Connett. Councilmember Harrison. Present. Very great. Right. Um for all participants online and in person. Please state your name for the record prior to your presentation. If you wish to speak an item not in the agenda, please wait until chair calls for public and non-agenda items. Only matters within the council's jurisdiction may be addressed, and time limits are at the discretion of the chair. For in-person speakers, please fill out a speaker card and hand it to the chair. For online participants, speakers, please use the raise tab function for down in participants. Please now star and I to raise and lower your hand. The clerk will allow you to unmute it as your turn. Okay, thank you. And we'll we'll we have a big very full agenda tonight, so we'll limit the public comment or all the comments to two minutes. Okay. So let's talk about reports updates. I think we have Sergeant Edwards here. Just Deputy Edwards for Richard Franco. So I'm not responsibility. Oh, I'm sorry. Thank you very much, Andrew. Yes. It's not. Oh, there it is. Public comments. I'm sorry, looked right past it. Thank you. Did you have a public comment? I'm Andrea Turnbull. I'm a resident of Sunol for 27, almost 27 years. And I um I uh published informed Synol. Um tonight I want to tell a little story. And the story is about the first company that I went to work for when I finished business school um 40 years ago, and the company's name was Teradine. And what was remarkable is that the company was about 300 million dollar company at the time, and uh they had a CEO who had still been employee number two when they started the year I was born, 1961. So 24 years in, they still have the same um CEO. And then uh by the time I left, that 300 million dollar company was a billion dollar company. But in between, one of the problems that we were facing is that the electronic industry was in trouble in the United States, and I had gone to work for an electronic industry company. We're getting our butts kicked by the East um East Eastern Asians who were out performing us in quality. Well, this guy decided that he was the chief quality officer, making himself the CEO in charge of quality, and it literally changed the way that we worked. We got competitive, we were able to deliver uh test systems around the world that cost about a million dollars apiece, and Intel told us that the payback on that test rule was 25 days because it tested the IBM PC chips. But what was remarkable was that he used to run around and say some magic words, and I hope you'll say them often tonight. What's the benefit? Every time that we go through an agenda item today or we talk, I'm gonna encourage you to ask what's the benefit. He did it so well that our company, that company is now a three billion dollar company long after his passing.
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