Cupertino Mayor Blocks Ally's Vice Mayor Bid
Cupertino's new mayor, Kitty Moore, recently blocked a City Council ally from becoming vice mayor, despite both belonging to the same political faction. The move occurred during a recent council meeting and signals ongoing political tensions and shifting alliances within the city's leadership.
- The council member blocked from the vice mayor position was R. “Ray” Wang, who is generally a political ally of Mayor Kitty Moore and part of the same slow-growth faction that holds a majority on the council. - In the December 11, 2025 vote, Moore cast the deciding vote for Councilmember Liang Chao to become vice mayor instead of Wang, who was considered the leading candidate for the role. - Mayor Moore publicly justified her decision by stating, "I cannot willingly choose to have surprises, and I'm concerned that I'm going to end up with surprises," referencing recent actions by Wang. - The move stems from a public dispute that began at a December 2 council meeting, where Wang, attending remotely from Las Vegas, unilaterally ended the meeting by disconnecting during a debate over an affordable housing project. - Wang later apologized, claiming his laptop battery died and it was not his intention to end the meeting, an explanation Mayor Moore openly questioned and called not "remotely believable." - This was not the first time Wang's conduct has been a point of contention; in 2023, he was removed from the Planning Commission following allegations of belittling city workers and harassing residents. - Public opinion on the matter was divided, with 25 residents emailing or speaking in favor of Wang for vice mayor and 27 opposing his appointment at the meeting. - The pro-growth minority on the council, including Councilmember J.R. Fruen, praised Moore's decision, with Fruen calling Wang's battery failure explanation "manifestly implausible."
