City of Cupertino

Cupertino City Council

This person would hold one of three open seats on Cupertino's five-member City Council. They vote on city laws, the budget, and land use. Cupertino is a Santa Clara County city of about 60,000 people. It is home to Apple's headquarters. All five seats are elected citywide, not by district. Terms are four years and overlapping. The other two seats aren't up until 2028. Cupertino has no separately elected Mayor. The council picks one of its own as Mayor and another as Vice Mayor. Both serve one-year terms.

Eight candidates are running for Cupertino's three open council seats. The election is November 3, 2026. The seats are at large. Incumbent J.R. Fruen is one of the eight. The three candidates with the most votes win outright. There is no primary or runoff.

This person would hold one of three open seats on Cupertino's five member City Council. They vote on city ordinances, the budget, and land use. Cupertino is a Santa Clara County city of about 60,000. It is home to Apple's headquarters. All five seats are elected citywide rather than by district. Terms are four years and they overlap. The other two seats aren't up until 2028. Cupertino has no separately elected Mayor. The council chooses one of its own members as Mayor and another as Vice Mayor. Those roles run one year.

Two of the open seats belong to Vice Mayor Liang Chao and Councilmember Sheila Mohan. Chao is termed out in December. Mohan chose not to seek reelection. The third seat belongs to J.R. Fruen. He is the only incumbent running for reelection to his own seat. Two other current Councilmembers, Kitty Moore and R "Ray" Wang, aren't up this cycle. The race splits along a pro growth and slow growth line. That line has defined recent Cupertino politics. Three candidates campaign together as "Cupertino Together." They are Fruen, Seema Sharma Lindskog, and John Tang. They seek to retake a council majority they say pro growth candidates lost in 2024. Three more are loosely aligned around slower growth, without a formal slate name. They are Tracy Kosolcharoen, Gopal Kumarappan, and Santosh Rao. The other two candidates, Mark Fantozzi and J.Z. "Jane" Wang, aren't described as aligned with either group. The dispute centers on how the city should meet state mandated RHNA housing targets over neighborhood objections. It also covers retail space lost to new housing, and city spending. This guide takes no position on either side.

Mark Fantozzi

Mark Fantozzi, 75, is a structural civil engineer. In May 2026 he sued to stop a 51 home project on Linda Vista Drive. He says the site is in a very high fire hazard zone. He runs on streamlining city government and spending transparency.

J.R. Fruen

J.R. Fruen, 46, is the race's only incumbent, first elected in 2022. He is an attorney and chief of staff to San Jose Councilmember Rosemary Kamei. He helps lead the pro growth "Cupertino Together" slate. He says the current slow growth majority has blocked housing projects and caused costly lawsuits.

Tracy Kosolcharoen

Tracy Kosolcharoen, 40, chairs Cupertino's Planning Commission. She is part of the slow growth alignment. She campaigns on protecting retail as the city adds housing. She has questioned the cost of a roughly $54 million City Hall renovation.

Gopal Kumarappan

Gopal Kumarappan, 58, is a tech executive who chairs Cupertino's Parks and Recreation Commission. He is part of the slow growth alignment. He says educating residents about housing rules could reduce opposition to development. He told San Jose Spotlight that "growth should strengthen Cupertino, not overwhelm it."

Seema Sharma Lindskog

Seema Sharma Lindskog, 60, sits on Cupertino's Planning Commission. She chairs Walk Bike Cupertino, a group for pedestrians and cyclists. She helps lead the pro growth "Cupertino Together" slate. She runs on growing new retail so the city depends less on Apple for revenue.

Santosh Rao

Santosh Rao, 52, is a tech executive who chaired Cupertino's Planning Commission in 2025. He is part of the slow growth alignment and prioritizes government efficiency. He opposes some state required housing projects. He says state law allows more local choice than the city has used.

John Tang

John Tang has been San Jose's deputy director of water resources since April 2026. He spent more than 20 years as a public affairs executive at San Jose Water. He helps lead the pro growth "Cupertino Together" slate. He says the city attorney and city manager jobs have seen turnover. He traces that to friction with the slow growth council majority.

J.Z. "Jane" Wang

J.Z. "Jane" Wang calls herself an engineer, caretaker, and businesswoman. She has filed several unsuccessful lawsuits against the city over roughly a decade. In 2023 a judge declared her a "vexatious litigant." The judge sits on the Santa Clara County Superior Court. That ruling bars her from suing the city again without advance court permission. She says the city lacks public trust. She argues past disagreements should not block future teamwork.

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A nonpartisan office: candidates do not run as Democrats or Republicans, and no party appears on the ballot.

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