Recently, the CBS drama series Cupertino has drawn plenty of criticism from viewers online: Did the writers really ever come to Cupertino?
So what kind of city is Cupertino in reality? More than two-thirds of its residents are Asian, yet almost all of them were hiding behind the scene. But when we step into the real Cupertino, the story may be even more fascinating than the television series itself —
Here you’ll find one of Silicon Valley’s top-performing school districts, homes with median prices of more than $3 million, and professionals from some of the world’s leading technology companies. You’ll also find ordinary families from different ethnicities, cultures, and backgrounds. When money, interests, political power, community, elections, and the media become intertwined, what might the people living in this so-called “high-tech paradise” have to go through to protect their own rights and interests?
A television drama can invent whatever story it wants. But the stories actually happening in Cupertino have no script.
Episode 1: Midnight — Police Cars Descend on an Asian American Family’s Home
September 2026. Silicon Valley. A quiet single-family neighborhood.
Late at night, an ordinary Chinese American family was fast asleep.
Suddenly—
The doorbell rang urgently. Once, Twice, Again and again, until it finally woke the homeowner from his sleep.
He pulled back the curtain. What he saw left him stunned: one police vehicle after another had filled the normally quiet, dimly lit residential street. Why would so many police vehicles arrive in the middle of the night? Was it a home invasion? A violent assault? Even a homicide?
Confused, the homeowner opened the door. Several heavily equipped officers were standing outside.
“What happened?”
Still groggy from sleep, he could barely process what was happening. The officers began explaining why they were there. But the information came so suddenly that it took him a moment to understand.
His mind was still half trapped in the dream he had just been pulled from. Then he finally heard one phrase clearly: Political campaign signs.
The homeowner paused. “Signs?” Yes. There were indeed several campaign signs in the backyard. But he could not understand how a few political signs could possibly result in so many police vehicles showing up at his home in the middle of the night. Even more strangely, the uniforms worn by the officers did not appear to be those of the local police department he was familiar with.
Who were these officers? Who had called the police? And why had so many law-enforcement resources been deployed?
In the United States, private property is always respected. As television dramas often portray, law enforcement generally cannot simply enter a private residence or conduct a search by saying, “I’m a police officer.” Depending on the circumstances, legal procedures and a warrant may be required. But as a Chinese immigrant who had just been awakened in the middle of the night, the homeowner was not thinking about legal procedures or constitutional law. He knew only one thing: It was midnight. He was surrounded by heavily equipped police officers. What should he do to cooperate and show that he was not their enemy?
So he quickly accompanied the officers to the backyard and showed them where the campaign signs might be. Throughout the entire process, he did not even realize—
The most strange part of the story might only be beginning.
The next day, the homeowner told friends what had happened.
After discussing it among themselves, everyone began to feel that something did not quite add up.
So they started asking questions: Who had actually responded to the call that night? Why had so many police vehicles been dispatched? Which law-enforcement agency had responded?
After all, California residents are well aware that law-enforcement resources are limited. In recent years, one California law that generated significant public frustration concerned the treatment of certain theft cases involving property valued below $1,000. But as the investigation continued, an even more puzzling question emerged: How could such a large-scale midnight police response apparently leave no corresponding publicly available record with the local police department?
Several police vehicles. Multiple officers. A late-night visit to a private home. If something this significant had really happened, how could there be no corresponding police report or record?
And how could such an apparently bizarre situation happen in Silicon Valley, a region known for its highly educated residents and technology professionals?
Was something being hidden? And how would this mystery eventually be unraveled?
To be continued.
This story is still unfolding. Stay tuned to No Script for Cupertino.
Through this series, you will learn more about the real experiences of Asian residents in Cupertino and see how immigrants may learn to protect themselves in a new country. Under the American system of separation of powers and local self-government, individual cities and communities have significant authority over local affairs. Sometimes, it may take only a few plastic campaign signs to set a much larger chain of events in motion—bringing previously unseen forces and connections into the open.
With Election Day approaching on November 3, 2026, how will the events in Cupertino unfold? We welcome readers to follow the story, share your thoughts, and even offer your own insights.
Right now, this is happening in Cupertino. Our story has no script.