• SNAIL with the Sunnyvale Mobile Home Park Alliance (smHpa) hosts a hybrid version of the candidate forum for mayoral race at the Sunnyvale Community Services moderated by Elaine Manley from the League of Women’s Voters
  • National Night Out sees 452 attendees (336 adults, 80 children under 12 years old and 36 teens 13-18 years old) the biggest attendance event in the history of SNAIL
  • SNAIL new leaders are Marco Vasquez as Vice-chair, Dorit Chapman as Treasurer, Denise Perez as Secretary, Valérie Suarès as Chair
  • February welcomes 8th Little Free “Puzzle” Library in the 600 block of Madrone and 9th at the corner of Morse and Duane
  • Peggy launches “Sunnyvale Equity in Education” and includes Spanish translation in all her communication with residents
  • In October, a few days after their grand opening, the Pacific Autism Center for Education (PACE) school on San Alesso, gets burglarized and all of the adaptive bikes were stollen. Led by Shane Jacksteit, the Elev8tion community on San Aleso collected $1,050 and donates the funds to the school towards the purchase of one new adaptive bike
  • Following SNAIL joins by matching that amount
  • A week later Jesse Blieberg from Junk Luggers donates a gently use adaptive bike to the PACE
  • In January, SNAIL (in District 5) with the Sunnyvale Mobile Home Park Alliance (in District 6) writes a strong letter to the Redistricting Commissioners, illustrating why the district line should be moved to keep these 17 homes as part of the SNAIL neighborhood, since they are located within the boundaries and walls of the SNAIL community
  • Known as the “surgical cut” or “notch”, city and county elected officials got involved with the state to allow for the 17 homes on Carolina to be reappropriated to the SNAIL community.
  • Notch no more… SNAIL remains intact, indivisible
  • Valérie Suarès breaks her wrist on the eve of NNO. Diane Gleason and John Cordes are selling their home and moving to Watsonville. Girls Scouts help decorate SNAIL trees with red bows
  • Summit Denali charter school campus on San Aleso announces it will close its doors
  • August 22, the passing of one of our longtime SNAIL community members Bonnie Lloyd
  • Later that year Pasty Duke passes away also
  • Sam, June’s Valenti husband passes away
  • No parking on Maude gets implemented to give space for bike lanes
  • In April the City Hall construction began
  • Covid 19 tests become available most
  • June Valenti announces she will be moving to Moline Illinois to be closer to her family following the sudden passing of her husband
  • SNAIL pilots its second earth day event as a way to keep the neighborhood together under Covid restrictions
  • SNAIL purchased a Special Blend Organic Potting Soil that was delivered to Jenny’s driveway in the heart of the neighborhood. Sunflower seeds are being given out to children
  • In August that year, SNAIL leaders petitioned the city to keep SNAIL intact and indivisible as A Strong Community of Interest for the District map redrawing
  • In September, Dave and Dorit Chapman received the Environmental Achievement Award from the city of Sunnyvale for their personal mission and ongoing efforts to help keep the SNAIL community clean, placing strategically five pails and coffee cans, labeled ‘Cigarettes Butts’, near Columbia Middle School and along Ahwanee Avenue. They started the SNAIL recycling program and have collected to-date 970.30 lbs of aluminum cans and 1,031 lbs of plastic bottles, all redeemed for cash to support the National Night Out neighborhood party
  • In October, Peggy and Erik Brewster launch SNAIL Traffic Safety
  • In December, Valérie Suarès discovered that on the new District map, 17 homes on east side Carolina and East Ferndale Avenues (located within SNAIL wall limits) were excluded from District 5, appropriating these homes to District 6
  • Start of a month-long discussion with city and county staff, them with County attorney to reappropriate these 17 homes
  • New elected SNAIL members for 2022 will be: Chair: Valérie Suarès, Vice-chair: Marco Vasquez, Secretary: Barbara Brunasso Oliver and Treasurer: Dorit Chapman
  • March 13 Pandemic hits: COVID-19 emergency and the “shelter in place” orders issued by Santa Clara County and the State of California
  • Columbia school and neighborhood center closes for 3 weeks and SNAIL stops meeting in person.
  • Many newsletters’ reps are reluctant to distribute the newsletter door to door
  • Shelves at supermarkets are empty
  • April and May in-person meetings are cancelled
  • June, SNAIL launches its monthly meetings over zoom
  • September’s candidate forum to elect city’s District 5 council member takes place over zoom. SNAIL donates $1,000 to support the Columbia School “desk for Students Program”
  • National Night Out community event gets cancelled
  • City Public Works installs three of the ten outdoor benches petitioned by Valérie from the San Aleso property, on the grounds of the Columbia park
  • Summit Denali charter school campus opens in the fall of 2020 on San Aleso
  • Valérie Suarès becomes the chair of the neighborhood assisted by Diane Gleason, June Valenti will continue and Sharon McKnight
  • NNO moves to the 400 block of East Arbor. 280 plates were used and we guesstimate that 325 people attended this event
  • Four Little free libraries were added in the SNAIL neighborhood (End of Pine, on San Diego, on Georgia and East Eaglewood) to the three already existing ones (Borregas, and East Arbor)
  • Tarik Peterson becomes the Chair, assisted by Vice-chair Valérie Suarès, Secretary June Valenti, Treasurer Kirstin Sims, Newsletter Editor Denise Perez
  • June 14, was the original outreach meeting from Toll Brothers. The building at 740 San Aleso had been vacant for about 2 years. Later in June Sharon McKnight came home to find a man standing in her backyard that had climbed me over the wall. She called the police and the man was arrested. Sharon then contacted the city with a Service Request. All of these actions move me to create request to stop the city in their action to open the passages in the wall as part of the Perry Park project
  • She and her neighbor Zelda, canvased the neighbors in July 2018 and collected signatures for a petition against the “Holes in the Wall”
  • Aug 27, 2018, at the City Council meeting the Toll Brother developer for the San Aleso townhouses on told Council members, they would follow the will and requests from the SNAIL neighbors not to open the walls for passthrough from San Aleso and West Ferndale and west Duane. A huge win for SNAIL thanks to the initiative of Sharon M and Zelda
  • SNAIL receives the Mayor’s Award of Excellence in recognition of its roles as HomeFirst Feeding partner
  • First of two district maps is drawn based on the 2010 population census
  • Valérie Suarès receives the Outstanding Community Volunteer of the year
  • The controversies of the “City Peery Project” and its impact on SNAIL
    Zelda and Sharon surveyed the 25 homes most impacted by the creation of the two openings between SNAIL and Mathida.
  • This marked the beginning of establishing a line of communication between SNAIL and Toll Brothers who took over the construction of the homes on San Aleso, after Lennar Builders decided to stop working on this project.
  • It demonstrated we as a community could effectively communicate our concerns to the builder.
  • Toll Brothers worked with SNAIL Community in stopping these passages against the city’s plans.
  • In the future they made sure we were aware of their plans and time lines on building the homes on San Aleso.

Pending Content

  • Denise Perez takes over the role of newsletter editor
  • May: The controversies of the City Peery Project and its impact on SNAIL: there were outreach meetings for the property at 740 Aleso and the strip of industrial buildings that were annexed in the Perry Park project boundaries indicating entrances from San Aleso into SNAIL neighborhood through the demolition of the existing wall creating pathways into the SNAIL community. It when through Atlantic, Cal Homes and Lennar builders and finally started construction in 2018 (see that year)
  • John Cordes becomes chair of the community, with Elaine Rowan as Vice Chair, Jim Quaderer as Secretary and Patsy Duke as Treasurer
  • Jeannie Biddle’ family donates proceeds of her estate sale to SNAIL ($3,080.93)
  • Bonnie Lloyd served as Social Secretary
  • Elected chair is John Cordes, Vice Chair Jessica McDole, Secretary Jim Quaderer and Treasurer Kirstin Sims
  • Bonnie Lloyd becomes the social secretary until 2019 when June Valenti takes over organizing monthly dinners
  • Jeannie Biddle passes away
  • October 12 Jeannie Biddle’s Memorial Service
  • Jim Quaderer becomes the Chair, John Cordes Vice Chair, June Valenti the Secretary, Bonnie Lloyd the Treasurer and Gianfranco Paolozzi the Newsletter Editor
  • Malcom Lloyd organizes SNAIL members to feed the homeless every Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Sunnyvale Armory
  • SNAIL hosted its largest-attendance event to date with over 250 neighbors attending National Night Out
  • SNAIL represents about 1,200 homes
  • SNAIL has hosted neighborhood BBQs every year since the first one in 1995
  • Bonnie served Treasurer in 2011 and 2012
  • Bonnie serves as Vice Chair in 2010
  • Michael Rose’s second consecutive year as Chair
  • SNAIL began its, “Neighbor Helping Neighbor” program
  • Jeannie Biddle receives the Distinguished Resident Award from the city of Sunnyvale
  • The National Night Out event moved from Columbia Park to Arbor Avenue
  • SNAIL produced its first four-page newsletter to publish photos of the event
  • SNAIL ran a “Taste of Sunnyvale” ethnic food event in the Columbia School gym with over 20 local restaurants and businesses donating. It was a huge logistical effort and very successful
  • SNAIL’s had its first progressive dinner on Carolina Avenue after a shortened general meeting

Toggle Content goes here

  • Feeding homeless at the Armory began
  • Jim Quaderer started the two SNAIL Yahoo newsgroups
  • Elaine Rowan’s third consecutive year as Chair
  • SNAIL initiated photography and advertising in the newsletter
  • SNAIL’s annual yard sale began at Connie-Cook Turner’s house
  • The decoration of neighborhood trees with holiday bows was well underway in the same year
  • Entertainment fundraiser book sales began
  • The number of block representatives became too numerous to list in the newsletter anymore
  • Neighborhood from streets east of Borregas Avenue served as officers for the first time. They were Elaine Rowan, Tarik Peterson, Jeannie Biddle, and Dianna Williams
  • SNAIL’s first National Night Out event was an ice cream social in Columbia Park. SNAIL hosted its first City Council Candidate Forum at a general meeting
  • SNAIL expanded further east to Carolina Avenue to over 700 homes

Pending Content

  • SNAIL expanded eastward to North Bayview Avenue with June Valenti serving as block representative
  • SNAIL successfully petitioned the City for a street light at W. Arbor and Borregas Avenues.
  • Jeannie Biddle requested to be block representative for East Eaglewood Avenue, opening the door for streets on the east side of Borregas Avenue to join SNAIL
  • Thomas Leibold created the snail.org web site
  • Membership was over 300 homes
  • Dave King headed up the SNAIL response to the proposed Moffett Field commercial expansion and Jim Quaderer ran the Neighborhood Preservation effort
  • Several issues affecting the neighborhood arose. Some of them were the proposed development of Moffett Field for commercial aviation, the Moffett Trailer Park (West Ferndale Avenue), and the development of the Lucky Supermarket strip mall
  • The newly formed organization addressed each of the issues and more
  • SNAIL received the first of its three grants from the Community Foundation of Santa Clara County which funded the newsletter, BBQs, and youth activities
  • The first dumpster weekend was in March with four dumpsters
  • The first holiday home decorating contest was held. Meetings were held at Columbia School
  • A grassroots organization was started by Jeff Jones and Ricky Khader of Madrone Avenue to clean up the neighborhood and to encourage a sense of community
  • They first organized on Madrone, Beechnut, Arbor, Duane, Pine, and Manzanita Avenues and met in homes
  • One of the issues was the three under-maintained properties of one absentee landlord. With just one letter from the fledgling group, the landlord promptly improved the appearance of his properties, later saying that he was glad to find out that someone actually cared about the neighborhood
  • That summer, the organization was growing rapidly but it did not yet have a name. At the end of a very festive BBQ party on Madrone Avenue in October of that year, the name, “Sunnyvale Neighborhoods of Arbor Including Lalinda” or “SNAIL” was chosen
  • The names “Arbor” and “LaLinda” referred to two of the housing tracts shown on the county assessor maps of the neighborhood, “Arbor Court” and “LaLinda Terrace.”
  • Jeff Jones became Chairman, Theresa Garoupa became Secretary. Bylaws were written.