Rules and Regulations for Candidates

Council Composition and Salary

Five Council members are elected at-large for overlapping, four-year terms. The election is non-partisan, and is held in November of even numbered years. Once seated, Council members themselves elect the Mayor and Vice Mayor for a term of one year. Meetings are held the first and third Tuesday of each month beginning at 6:45 p.m. usually lasting until 11:00 p.m. Council members typically spend 20-40 hours each week on their responsibilities.

City Council Ordinance 06-1985 set Council member salaries at $730.24 per month. Members also receive medical, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits, and may qualify for Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) benefits.

Council members must be registered voters within City limits. Residents of unincorporated County pockets do not qualify. Please note that postal and school boundaries are different than City boundaries.

Ethics

All candidates are given the State’s Code of Fair Campaign Ethics and may voluntarily choose to sign that form and file it with the City Clerk. Violations of this form are reported to the Fair Political Practices Commission at 1.800.561.1861.

Filing Obligations

Candidates and seated Council members file a number of mandatory and voluntary documents. They include but are not limited to the following:

• The Candidate Statement that is printed in the Voter’s Information Pamphlet (voluntary).

• A Statement of Economic Interest, in which the candidate discloses personal financial information that may create a potential conflict of interest (mandatory).

• Several Campaign Disclosure Statements, which disclose funding sources and how the funds were spent (mandatory).

These are public records and are posted on the City’s web site or may be purchased from the City Clerk for 10 cents per page.

Note: If a candidate raises or spends $2,000 or more, that candidate officially qualifies as a controlled committee, and therefore must file a Form 410, Statement of Organization and identify a treasurer. Although the candidate may serve as his or her own treasurer, it is strongly recommended that the candidate select another person to serve in that function, preferably someone with experience in basic accounting. The candidate and treasurer filing obligations continue on a semi-annual basis until the candidate leaves the Council or terminates the committee. Fines may be imposed for non-compliance.

Cupertino has no campaign contribution limit but does have a voluntary expenditure limit.

2020 Voluntary Expenditure Limit Resolution(PDF, 185KB) for Campaign Funds

Sign Regulations

City of Cupertino
Temporary Political Sign Guidance for 2020 Election Season

In order to ensure that no complaints are received regarding your campaign signs, please follow the rules below, as well as any applicable State requirements.

Size and Design of Temporary Political Signs

• Signs shall have no more than two sides (i.e. faces).
• Signs shall be no larger than four square feet in area per side (i.e. per face).
• Signs shall not be illuminated.

Location (Private Property)

• Political signs are allowed on private property everywhere in the City with the written or oral consent of the property owner or other person entitled to possession.

Location (Public Property and Public Right-of-way)

• Political signs may be located in the public right-of-way (e.g. in the park strip between the curb and sidewalk) of residential and institutional districts only, subject to the other restrictions listed.
• Political signs are not allowed in the public right-of-way in any districts other than residential and institutional districts (e.g. they are not allowed in commercial or industrial districts).
• Signs shall not be located on the street or on street medians (e.g. center dividers between lanes)
• Signs must not be attached to public property, such as sidewalks, fences, walls, public playground equipment, street lamp posts, traffic lights, telephone poles, utility cabinets, hydrants, trees, buildings, etc.

Clearance Around Signs:

• All parts of the sign shall be set back a minimum of 18 inches from the face of the curb or from the edge of the street, bicycle or vehicle travel lane.
• Signs shall maintain 36 inches of clear and continuous width to allow pedestrian passage along a sidewalk or pathway
• Signs shall not restrict in any way the safe vision of any vehicular or pedestrian traffic or obstruct any directional or safety signs permitted by the City.

Removal of Signs:

• All political signs must be removed no later than 5 days after Election Day.
• At any time, Cupertino Code Enforcement may immediately remove any sign that creates a hazard to vehicular or pedestrian traffic, without any notice to the candidate or campaign entity.
• All signs that are removed will be stored at the City’s Corporation Yard (10555 Mary Avenue, 408.777.3269). Signs may be retrieved upon payment of a $3.32 Sign Recovery fee for each sign. Signs held for more than 20 days shall be considered abandoned and disposed of.

Permit Required for Larger Signs or Banners, Unless Handheld

• Candidates wishing to erect signs or banners (e.g. on the ground, hung from tents, or attached to buildings or vehicles) that exceed four square feet of area per side must obtain a permit from the City for one of several allowable sign types, including the following:
• Temporary “special event banners” may have a maximum area of up to 100 square feet, but require a permit from the City, must be mounted on a building, can have only one face, and are not allowed in residential districts. Please contact the Code Enforcement Office for more information.
• “Portable signs and displays” that are not permanently attached to the ground or a structure may be up to eight square feet in area, four feet in height, and two feet in width, but require a permit, may only be displayed during business hours, and are not allowed in residential districts. Please contact the Code Enforcement Office for more information.
• Handheld political signs or banners (i.e. signs carried by people that are not attached or mounted to any structure or left unattended on the ground) are allowed without a permit, regardless of size, provided they do not cause any public safety issues, such as by obstructing pedestrian, bike, or vehicle passage.

Further Information

For other questions regarding sign enforcement, please contact the Cupertino Code Enforcement Office at 408.777.3182.

How to Begin

Review the main Elections Information page.

Additional information is in the 2020 Candidate Handbook.(PDF, 692KB)

Note: If you raise or spend $2,000 or more, your filing obligations have been triggered and you should contact the City Clerk’s Office or the Fair Political Practices Commission for information on opening a campaign committee.

Election-related Links

• How City Council Works
• California Secretary of State
• California Voter Foundation
• League of Women Voters of California
• The Fair Political Practices Commission
• Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters
• Smart Voter

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