Cupertino voters will choose three City Council members from eight candidates on Tuesday, Nov. 3. All seats are at-large, so every voter can pick up to three names, and the top three vote-getters win four-year terms.

Why it matters: Vice Mayor Liang Chao is termed out and Councilmember Sheila Mohan chose not to run, so two of five seats are open. San José Spotlight describes the race as another contest between the city's pro-growth and slow-growth factions, with control of the council at stake.

The two camps

Three pro-growth candidates, incumbent J.R. Fruen, Seema Sharma Lindskog and John Tang, run together as the Cupertino Together slate. Three slow-growth candidates, Tracy Kosolcharoen, Gopal Kumarappan and Santosh Rao, are loosely working together, the Spotlight reported. Two more candidates, Mark Fantozzi and J.Z. Wang, are running on their own.

The candidates

  • J.R. Fruen, 46, an attorney and chief of staff to San Jose Councilmember Rosemary Kamei, wants a second term. He says the slow-growth majority is holding the city back by impeding housing and triggering costly litigation. Endorsers include Mohan, seven former mayors, Supervisor Margaret Abe-Koga and state Sen. Josh Becker.
  • Seema Sharma Lindskog, 60, a planning commissioner who chairs Walk Bike Cupertino, wants retail clusters and more mid-sized businesses so the city isn't "just dependent on small businesses and one trillion-dollar company (Apple)."
  • John Tang, a civil engineer and San Jose's deputy director of water resources, spent more than 20 years at San Jose Water. He says the city must move past turnover in key staff jobs, including the city attorney and city manager.
  • Tracy Kosolcharoen, 40, chairs the Planning Commission. She wants zoning that protects existing businesses and closer scrutiny of big projects such as a $54 million seismic renovation of City Hall. Chao and Councilmember Ray Wang endorse her.
  • Gopal Kumarappan, 58, a tech executive who chairs the Parks and Recreation Commission, says "growth should strengthen Cupertino, not overwhelm it" and wants young residents on city commissions.
  • Santosh Rao, 52, a tech executive who chaired the Planning Commission in 2025, has often opposed state-mandated housing projects. He says the city is being punitive with businesses while it faces a budget gap driven by rising sheriff's contract costs.
  • Mark Fantozzi, 75, a structural civil engineer, is suing the city over a 51-home townhome project on Linda Vista Drive in a high fire-risk zone.
  • J.Z. Wang was declared a vexatious litigant in 2023 after years of lawsuits against the city. She says the council needs to listen better to residents.

Money rules

The council set a voluntary spending limit of $50,000 per candidate for this election. The contribution limit is $5,900 per donor, the city says.

Where to vote

Ballot drop boxes are outside City Hall and the Cupertino Library on Torre Avenue, at De Anza College and at Quinlan Community Center until 8 p.m. Nov. 3. In-person vote centers open Oct. 31 at the library, De Anza College's Campus Center, Odd Fellows Lodge on Homestead Road, Rancho Rinconada and Seven Springs. Cupertino voters also decide Measure L on parks and open space. See every race in our Election 2026 guide.