Menlo Park officials are trying to persuade Sun Microsystems to retain its Menlo Park campus, in light of the hardware and software company's recent agreement to merge with Oracle.

Sun's campus sit on a sprawling property at the intersection of Willow Road and Bayfront Expressway. The company is a significant contributor to the city in sales and property taxes, according to Finance Director Carol Augustine.

Mayor Heyward Robinson and other Menlo Park officials met with Sun representatives on April 30, to let the company know that the city's interested in retaining it, and to pitch the benefits of being located in Menlo Park, city officials said. As Sun and Oracle decide how to consolidate Sun's operation, it will be critical for Menlo Park to have an advocate within the company, said Dave Johnson, the city's business development manager.

Menlo Park officials have been trying to set up a meeting with the struggling computing giant for months, in an effort to convince it to retain its Menlo Park campus, according to Mr. Johnson.

Oracle's deal to buy Sun is expected to close this summer, according to Sun's Web site.

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