Santa Clara County Voter's Guide On Children's Issues

City of Cupertino

Rod Sinks

https://www.rodsinks.com

I am a high school board trustee for FUHSD and a longtime youth leader who: 1) led the local YMCA Adventure Guides program at Cupertino's NW YMCA 2) served as Scoutmaster for a troop of 130 scouts for 5 years 3) served Robotics Mentor at Monta Vista High School for a few years, and then as judge for the Silicon Valley Regional competition

  1. Over 80% of voters polled say they want elected officials to prioritize children and families. What are the top three issues affecting our children and families and how will you make our region a place where all families can thrive?

    We can strengthen our schools by building housing for teachers and younger families to stem declining enrollment. New homes will add to our property tax base, which primarily benefits our schools.

    We need to improve mobility options that help students get to school on foot, by bike and with ridesharing services. During my prior tenure on the city council, we added sidewalks, added protected bike lanes, increased our Safe Routes to School program and initiated SV Hopper, an on-demand shared ride service subsidized with State & City funds; Cupertino High and Monta Vista High are popular destinations serving students, saving parents' time and reducing traffic.

  2. High quality childcare improves school readiness and parents' workforce participation. What will you do to improve access to high quality childcare and preschool programs in our diverse communities?

    I am open to exploring what we can do as a city to help with this.

  3. Much of the student achievement gap has been linked to the opportunity gap that children in low-income families and children of color confront (e.g., lack of access to healthy food, preschool, tutors, and enrichment activities). If elected, what will you do to increase equity of opportunity?

    As an FUHSD trustee, I heard the plight of students in N. Sunnyvale who have trouble accessing after school activities. In the last year, we dramatically increased the number of students eligible for VTA bus passes paid for by FUHSD. But we also observed that bus service during evening hours is very limited; a student finishing practice at 8:15pm at Fremont High takes 80 minutes to get to her home in the Lakewood neighborhood. This is a real barrier to participation in extracurricular activities. So I advocated for and organized Sunnyvale organizations to successfully petition the Sunnyvale City Council to also adopt the SV Hopper service to serve everyone, including those students.

  4. What steps will you take to improve inclusion and outcomes for children with disabilities and their families in our community?

    As a councilmember, I supported an inclusive playground that is finally being built at Jollyman Park. I'm Vice Chair of the Cupertino Rotary Housing Corporation, and we are working on housing for developmentally disabled adults on city-owned property along Mary Avenue. Our Cupertino Rotary Climate Action Committee has funded and installed rooftop solar on a number of homes owned by Life Services Alternatives, which house children with developmental disabilities.

  5. If elected, how will you use the resources of your new role to improve children's well-being and access to mental and behavioral health services?

    I support fully funding programs primarily implemented by the County of Santa Clara, and have been an advocate in Sacramento for bills sponsored by Jim Beall to improve funding and access to these services.