Girl Scouts, bird advocates and Sierra Club urge Sunnyvale to pursue dark-sky ordinance

At the start of the Jan. 13 council meeting, several residents and community groups urged Sunnyvale to consider a dark-sky ordinance to limit light pollution across the city.

Girl Scout Troop 60506 delivered a short presentation describing light pollution’s effects on birds, insects and human circadian rhythms and asked the council to adopt an ordinance that would require shielding, warmer-color lighting and timed or reduced use of outdoor lights. Ronnie Fisher, chair of the Environmental Action Committee of the Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance, highlighted Sunnyvale’s location on the Pacific Flyway and urged a measured ordinance with complaint-based enforcement and community education.

Dashiell Leeds, conservation coordinator for the Sierra Club’s Loma Prieta chapter, spoke remotely in support of the proposal and noted regional precedent: Cupertino and Brisbane have ordinances and Palo Alto recently adopted a first reading. He encouraged Sunnyvale to use the Moffett Park specific-plan lighting standards as a baseline and pair regulation with a neighbor-education program.

Councilmembers thanked speakers and indicated the topic is suitable for staff study and future policy discussion; no ordinance was introduced at this meeting. Staff and community members were encouraged to continue outreach and research.