Los Gatan 10-12-2022

REFERENDUM DRIVE THROWS WRENCH INTO HOUSING PLANS

Vice Mayor ‘stunned’ local group succeeded at pausing density increases indefinitely Drew Penner, Reporter

Despite Town Council having already decided on how much housing to plan for when it passed the 2040 General Plan earlier this year, an organiza tion pushing for slow growth had managed to get a couple key parts of it put on hold.

But the group behind the referendum drive that sus pended the new Community Design Element and the Land Use Element—sections of the all-important planning docu ment that control residential development—say they’re just pushing for what most Los Ga tans want.

“I just don’t think (Council) thought through the full ramifi cations,” said Montero Partners CEO Phil Koen, a member of the Los Gatos Community Alli ance, which vehemently oppos es upzoning. “Why not recog nize we can do better?”

The LGCA has been at odds with the three Council mem bers who voted for the Gener al Plan. While the document

VOTING UNDERWAY FOR NOVEMBER 8 GENERAL ELECTION

Ballots are now in the mail; drop boxes open in Los Gatos

Michael Moore, Reporter

Voting has begun in the Nov. 8 general election, as voters throughout California will receive ballots in the coming days—and can drop them off, completed and signed, at au thorized locations now through Election Day.

Elections officials in Santa Clara County began sending ballots in the mail on Oct. 10. Also on that day, the registrar of voters’ office opened up official, standalone ballot drop boxes throughout the county where any voter can submit their filled out ballot before Nov. 8.

Voters can also drop off their completed ballots at the county registrar’s office, at 1555 Berger

FOCUS Los Gatos High Wildcats tailback Emiliano Mejia has been nothing

of dynamic

season.

Gatos

Bill Lister

Mike L. Wenstrand

Editor

Lee May General Manager

Erik Chalhoub Managing Editor

Lori Lieneke Advertising Director

Phaedra Strecher Editorial Production Manager

Drew Penner Reporter

Emanuel Lee Juan Reyes Sports Writers Judy Peterson Contributor

Kate Kauffman Senior Account Executive Serenity Polizzi Eric Bocanegra Carrie Bonato Account Executives Alicia Trujillo Subscriptions

WEEKLYS

Stephen Buel Director of Strategic Initiatives Mike Lyon Digital Media

Sonia Chavez Accounts Receivables

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COMING SOON

Los Gatos on verge of handing theater keys to CineLux

Drew Penner, Reporter

Paul Gunsky navigates his way around the boxes stacked up next to the concession booth inside Los Gatos’ classic theater building.

The CineLux CEO—who jokingly refers to his title as “head popcorn popper”—has been crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s as his company edges ever closer to taking possession of the iconic facility.

“Has this been carpet-cleaned?” he asked Assistant Town Manager Arn Andrews, Thursday.

“I believe it has,” Andrews replied, but noted they could double-check.

CineLux has been planning to take over the operation of the downtown theater which lay dormant during the pandemic.

It was gifted to the Town, last year, by the Goetz family. Then, earlier this year, Los Gatos turned to CineLux to help get it open again.

But the parties are still ironing out the final contract particulars.

Gunsky, who grew up in the area, gazes over the features he calls “ma jestic,” like the pewter handrail on the stairway and the luxury overhead lighting.

He says it’s great to be able to help continue the legacy of one of the last old-style movie houses in the Bay Area.

“To come in and be the steward is just an honor,” he said, noting the company focuses on neighbor hood-based outlets. “We specialize in small-town theaters.”

Chris Gunsky, his son, is the compa ny’s area director. He’ll be in charge of Los Gatos’ moving picture house.

“We’ll manage this until we find a full-time manager,” he said. “I think this will be a great thing for the com munity of Los Gatos.”

He’s now in the throes of hiring staff, installing projectors and stock ing the concession booth.

“The heart of it is just great guest services,” he said. “I’m really excited to open this location.”

Gunsky says he wants movie viewers to feel as comfortable as if they were in their own home.

That goes right down to the minute details, like saying “Hello,” and “Good bye,” to patrons, he explains.

However, the theater plan hit a snag in recent weeks.

CineLux wanted assurances they weren’t going to end up stuck with a financial flop.

So, during the Oct. 4 Council meet ing, Andrews asked Los Gatos’ elected officials to approve an updated con tract term that would allow CineLux to negotiate the deal if it can’t make more than $100,000 annually.

“We feel it is abundantly important

DOWNTOWN

ICON Chris (left) and Paul Gunsky of CineLux Theatres are making the final adjustments in the process to reopen the Los Gatos Theatre.

‘MAJESTIC’

CineLux is currently hiring staff and installing equipment at the theater.

to create a sense of stability,” Andrews said. “And one of the ways we create a sense of stability is by making sure that the operator has some assurance that they’re not necessarily going to be running in the red, year after year.”

If CineLux can’t make enough profit, they’d be allowed to renegotiate their rent and the earnings percentage-split with the Town, Andrews said.

“All this term does is it means that the parties will start discussing again the current monetary elements,” he reported to Council, of what would happen if the target isn’t hit.

Council supported the contract up date unanimously. The Town’s hoping to hand over the keys by the end of the week.

All parties say the theater will be open by the winter holiday season.

Dan Pulcrano

Photos by Drew Penner/Los Gatan

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VOTER

GROUP COLLECTS 3,400 SIGNATURES

Referendum, from page 1

didn’t increase density on Hillside Residential and Low Density Residen tial parcels, it did up the maximum density on Medium Density from 12 to 22 units per acre (though not on high fire hazard land) and in High Density from 20 to 40 units per acre.

It didn’t increase the density in the Of fice Professional or Neighborhood Com mercial categories; but it did up the max density from 20 to 40 in Mixed Use and from 20 to 30 in the Central Business District; and it added a new category called Community Commercial (which has a top density of 30 units per acre).

Mayor Rob Rennie was the deciding vote for the 2040 General Plan, with Vice Mayor Maria Ristow and Coun cilmember Marico Sayoc also in support.

Then, Rennie had sided with the “No” voters—Councilmembers Mary Badame and Matthew Hudes—to rename Medi um Density as High Density and High Density as Very High Density.

Hudes had predicted the plan’s pas sage would anger local residents enough to spark an effort to quash it. He was right.

Before the ink had dried, the Alliance was out in force drumming up support for a voters’ initiative that would gut the overarching community plan.

Volunteers and paid signature collec tors fanned out to street festivals and grocery stores to gather sign-offs from the required 10% of the electorate.

By Aug. 16, the LGCA had collected more than 3,400 signatures.

The Santa Clara County Registrar

of Voters Office tossed 55 signatures out of a random sampling of 500, thus estimating that upwards of 3,000 were likely valid.

That was well beyond the 2,198-sig nature bar the LGCA had to clear. Next, Council voted to allow the initiative to move forward.

What took Town officials by surprise was that just getting a referendum ap proved to be placed on the ballot would result in the lightning-rod Elements getting tossed out, at least temporarily.

“I don’t understand completely,” Ris tow said when asked how it was possible part of the 2040 General Plan could be paused by fewer than 3,000 people simply indicating they want a chance to vote on the issue at some point in the future. “I’ve always had a problem with California’s initiative process.”

According to Ristow, the Town Attor ney confirmed the vote could technically be invalidated for the two sections of the General Plan in-question—for the time being—because LGCA beat the 30-day post-vote deadline for a referendum.

Ristow said she was “stunned” by the news, criticizing the way a small group of well-funded individuals can do an end-run around a years-long democratic process.

“I don’t know if that’s really returning the power to the people,” she said. “I did not know that was going to happen.”

But Koen says there’s nothing sketchy about availing yourself of the referen dum process.

“That is the highest form of democra cy I can think of,” he said. “The logic of

the law is it would do more harm for a disputed law to go into effect.”

Meanwhile, the Alliance held a candi date forum for September, which Ren nie, and progressive Council hopeful Rob Moore, boycotted.

At the time, Moore told the Los Gatan it didn’t make sense for him to attend, given LGCA’s staunch public support (and financial contributions) to oppo nents Badame and long-time executive Rob Stump, particularly with the refer endum looming.

Moore said the referendum had de railed efforts to improve Los Gatos.

“Delaying the process two, three, four years is going to slow progress in our community so much,” he said, pointing to the Town’s plans to spur vibrance by promoting Community Place Districts (now called Community Growth Dis tricts). “This referendum is going to stagnate all of this.”

Rennie told the Los Gatan he was skipping the forum because the LGCA opposes his candidacy, even though he essentially did their bidding and led the charge to wipe out density increases in Low Density Residential.

Locals said some petitioners report ed earning more than $10 a signature, although one, interviewed by the Los Gatan—during a Thursday Promenade event this summer—said he was making an hourly wage.

The employee of Newport Beach-headquartered On the Ground, Inc., who identified himself as Charly, said the 2040 General Plan had “mas sively increased” the amount of housing the Town was going to allow.

He added there’s a lot of support for the initiative among Los Gatans.

On The Ground pays $30-$40 an

hour for field canvassers—plus “substan tial bonuses for production”—according to a job ad on salary.com posted earlier this year.

“They like it; they really do,” he said. “They feel they really need that chance to vote.”

Koen noted there’s nothing illegal about paying people to collect signatures and charged some Town officials need to bone-up on California’s voting rules.

“Anyone who had read the Election Code around a referendum would know that’s how the law works,” he said. “The concern to me is the Town Council hasn’t woken up to the fact that this was a broad-based group of people who signed the petition.”

Michael Packer, 58, is one of them. The Los Gatos resident signed the pe tition at the Nob Hill grocery store this summer. He knew the signature-gath erers were being paid, but that didn’t bother him. He’s concerned the 2040 General Plan could open the door to de velopment without actually encouraging the production of affordable units.

“I don’t think we needed to allocate that-much housing,” he said. “I would like to see more low-income housing in Los Gatos. And I would like to see a balance of the environment and devel opment.”

Last week, Council voted to keep the Land Use Element and the Community Design Elements for the 2020 General Plan in place until a vote can be ar ranged.

During the meeting, former planning commissioner Jeffrey Suzuki, president of the Los Gatos Anti-Racism Coalition, said it was “insulting” to suggest the 2040 General Plan didn’t reflect the will of the community.

“I remember those years of (Gener al Plan Advisory Committee) meetings where countless people lent their voices and dedicated their evenings to create a truly progressive General Plan; and I can say that staff has been more than accommodating in ensuring that every voice was heard,” he said. “To say that all of those voices don’t at all represent Los Gatos, just because some signatures were gathered—very aggressively by pe titioners, if I may add—is absurd.”

At stake is Sacramento’s attempt to manifest cheaper homes across the State in areas like Los Gatos that were histori cally unwelcoming to minorities.

But LGCA members contend blan ket-upzoning will just open the door to additional high-end projects, noting plenty of upscale units have been built in

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POLICE BLOTTER

OCT. 2

• Two juveniles were reportedly in side a restaurant on Los Gatos Boulevard “messing around and throwing garbage on the ground” at 1:44pm. When two older juve niles told them they needed to clean up, one of the younger juve niles reportedly pulled a knife out of his pocket.

• Two teenagers were reportedly “spitting and yelling at people” at Oak Meadow Park at 4:39pm.

OCT. 3

• A woman was reportedly yelling at herself and spilled her coffee inside a coffee shop on Los Gatos Boulevard at 6:19am.

• A business was burglarized on Los Gatos Boulevard.

• A woman, wearing two hoodies, two pairs of pants and carrying a bottle of tequila, was reported for being drunk in public on the 15900 block of Los Gatos Boulevard.

• A group of juveniles were report edly throwing rocks at vehicles on Highway 85 and Pollard Road at 3:21pm.

• A group of juveniles in a pool on Charter Oaks Drive were reporting yelling profanities at 11:17pm.

OCT. 4

• A man was arrested for being in possession of open containers of alcohol in a park on the 600 block of N. Santa Cruz Avenue at 12:43pm.

OCT. 5

• A woman was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol on Highways 9 and 17 at 12:33am.

OCT. 6

• A man was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol on

Lark Avenue and Highway 17 at 2:16am.

• Grand theft was reported on Greenwood Lane.

• A bicycle was reported stolen on High School Court.

OCT. 7

• A business was burglarized on N. Santa Cruz Avenue.

• A man was reportedly in the mid dle of the street on Hicks Road with two vacuums and a wheel chair at 12:36pm.

• A man, holding a bottle with his pants around his ankles, was re ported for being drunk in public on Los Gatos-Almaden Road at 5:19pm.

• A man wearing a pink thong and cargo pants reportedly kept pull ing his pants down in front of a store’s window on N. Santa Cruz Avenue at 6:49pm.

OCT. 8

• Two women reportedly stole skin care products from a store on the 14100 block of Blossom Hill Road at 12:34pm.

REGISTRATION DEADLINE APPROACHES

Drive, in San Jose; or return them by mail using the self-addressed, post age-paid envelope that is included with the blank ballot.

Elections officials are reminding voters to make sure they sign and date their ballots on the designated line before dropping them off or mailing them to the elections office.

In-person voting is also available, as of Oct. 10, at the county elections office, according to the California Sec retary of State’s office.

“We’re urging all Californians to vote early this year. You don’t have to wait until Election Day because voting-bymail makes it easy as soon as you get your ballots,” Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber said. “Every person who votes early will help keep lines shorter and reduce wait times at in-person voting locations on Election Day.”

Voters are also encouraged to up date their status if they have moved their residence or changed their name or party affiliation since the last time they voted. Anyone unsure of their registration status can check the Sec retary of State’s “My Voter Status” tool at voterstatus.sos.ca.gov.

The deadline to register to vote in the upcoming election is Oct. 24. Security measures taken by elec

tions officials to ensure the safe com pletion and return of ballots include specific types of paper and water marks on the ballot; unique barcodes that election officials can scan from each ballot; and requiring signatures on all submitted ballots, says the press release from the secretary of state’s office.

Any Santa Clara County voter can return their ballots to any of the drop boxes, 24 hours a day, before 8pm Nov. 8.

In Los Gatos, drop boxes can be found at: Los Gatos Library, 100 Villa Ave.; and Los Gatos Town Hall, 110 East Main St.

For early in-person voting, the reg istrar’s office (at 1555 Berger Drive, Building 2 in San Jose) is open Mon day through Friday, 8am-5pm; Sat urday and Sunday from 9am-5pm; and on Election Day, Nov. 8, from 7am-8pm.

The Nov. 8 ballot includes numer ous offices for state, national, district and local offices, as well as seven state propositions.

For more details about the Nov. 8 election and to make sure you receive a ballot, visit the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters’ website at sccvote.org.

Information is compiled from public records released by the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department.

VOTE MAY HAPPEN IN 2024

Referendum, from page 6

recent years. The group says more densi ty won’t help the Town satisfy its Below Market Rate unit production, which has been dismal.

Koen accepts the California Depart ment of Housing and Community De velopment’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment figure of 1,993 units plus a 15% buffer—so 2,292—will have to be planned for by 2031.

But he believes—after encouraging developers to build an average of 287 units per year throughout the upcom ing eight-year RHNA cycle—Los Gatos would be wrong to try to maintain that pace, or do anything other than slow growth to a trickle.

Koen argues if every parcel gets de veloped to the maximum level allowed

under the 2040 General Plan it would create more than 12,000 units.

Town staff contend it’s unlikely Los Gatos will see anywhere near that level of construction, pointing, for example, to the low uptake in by-right lot-splits, which were recently approved through a new law called SB9.

Some Council members are reticent about holding a special election next year, since it could cost the Town hun dreds of thousands of dollars.

That means a vote might not happen until 2024.

And if voters do affirm the General Plan at that point, it would likely mean Los Gatos would then have to build even more homes per year to hit its 2,292 target by 2031.

MEJIA OUTRUNS, OUTWORKS COMPETITION

Los Gatos tailback keeps on churning

Emanuel Lee, Sports Editor

One of the key statistics that measures a true value of an offensive football play er is YAC, which stands for yards after catch for a player after the catch.

A more advanced stat for a running back is YCO/A, which measures the rushing yards gained after contact divid ed by the number of rush attempts by a ball carrier. If every team in the Central Coast Section kept track of YCO/A yards, Emiliano Mejia would most likely be at the top of the list.

The Los Gatos High senior running back rarely goes down on first contact even though he collides with bigger defenders. The 5-foot-9, 180-pounder credits his work ethic and mentality as keys to his physical running style.

“It's my attitude and I live in the weight room,” he said. “I’m there every day. That’s really why I play bigger than I am because I put in so much work and it shows on game day.”

Does it ever. Through six games this season, Mejia is averaging a robust 8.8-yards per carry and has scored nine touchdowns. Even though he takes and gives out punishment in equal propor tion, Mejia’s ability to change directions instantaneously plays a major factor in his ability to break off long gains.

But it all starts pre-snap, when Mejia scans the defense.

“It’s mostly reading the linebackers and defensive line and seeing how they align,” he said. “And then from the snap, I’m still looking at them making sure they’re all flowing, and if I see a come back lane or if I see a hole open up, then I’ll make my move and get upfield.”

In the Wildcats’ last game, a 42-20 win over Palo Alto on Oct. 6, Mejia rushed for 88 yards on 11 carries and had four receptions for 34 yards in just over one quarter of action. One can only imagine the numbers he could’ve put up had it been a competitive game and he played the entire way.

But that’s been typical for Mejia this season. Each of the Wildcats’ four wins have come via blowout, and there’s been

only one game in which he’s had 15-plus rushing attempts, when he gained 94 yards on 16 carries in the team’s 10-7 loss to Sacred Heart Prep on Sept. 23.

Mejia credits the offensive line of cen ter Will Cohen, right guard Kevin Rog ers, left guards Weston Heard and Gavin Burtis, right tackle Ryan Vernale and left tackle Richard Papapietro as vital in his and the team’s success.

The offensive line has had its ups and downs this season, but Mejia said they’re continuing to improve which makes all the difference.

“From the first game to now, it’s been a really big difference so I think coach (David) Orvick and coach (Mark) Krail, they've made a really good game plan and I’m just doing my job,” Mejia said. “The offensive line, they’re doing what they need to do and I’ll do the rest. I think that’s how we’ve been able to achieve our success as of late with the run game.”

Mejia said Cohen has been a leader with his play and determination.

“He’s really the heart of our offensive line,” Mejia said. “He’s driving guys back

and he’s picking up the whole offensive line. I think when we have struggles and we’re down, he’s the one that’s giv ing them a little boost. But all of our of fensive line is really taking leadership. I really love those guys.”

Mejia also loves the team’s defense, which hands down has been the team’s best unit throughout the season. Hen ry Wong had a huge game against Palo Alto. On one of the Vikings’ sec ond-quarter possessions, Wong had a tackle and back-to-back sacks which led to a Palo Alto punt that teammate Jaylen Thomas returned 60 yards for a touchdown and a 28-0 lead.

Thomas is the team’s premier twoway threat. He totaled three touch downs, including a 12-yard reception from Jake Boyd that made it 35-0 going into halftime. Thomas has also been a standout defensively along with Nico las Ramos—just to name a few.

“Our defense really has been lightsout the whole season,” Mejia said. “Our offense really just needs to catch up with our defense and when they do, we get results like that in the first half (against Palo Alto).”

Mejia was slowed by a hamstring injury in the off-season, but he still put in a lot of work to get stronger and de velop his football skills. On double days in the off-season, Mejia will have two separate workout sessions, a combina tion of lifting and on-field activities.

“I’m trying to get stronger but also getting faster and better at football because you don’t just want to get big and get strong and not get any better at football,” he said.

Mejia grew up playing flag foot ball before transitioning to tackle, and many of his current teammates are the same ones who started with him on the Los Gatos-Cambrian Pop Warner youth football team while they were still in grade school.

“A lot of us have been playing together for a while so it’s been awesome,” he said.

NOTES: Los Gatos improved to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in SCVAL De Anza Division with the win over Palo Alto.

Next up is a game at Homestead on Oct. 14. AJ Minyard made his firstever varsity start at quarterback and performed well, finishing 7-of-11 for 76 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions.

PREPARATION Los Gatos High senior Emiliano Mejia tapes up before the start of the Wildcats’ SCVAL De Anza Division game at Palo Alto High on Oct. 6. Mejia rushed for 88 yards in just over one quarter of action in a 42-20 victory.

Jonathan Natividad

LOS GATOS CROSS COUNTRY TEAMS ARE FAST

Stefanopoulos nailing PRs in 2022

Emanuel Lee, Sports Editor

Every time Aydon Stefanopoulos runs, he questions whether the work out he’s doing is going to get him faster.

Judging by Stefanopoulos’ results this season, the answer is a resounding yes. The Los Gatos High sophomore has been remarkably consistent in 2022, with a first, second, third, fifth, sixth and seventh-place finish.

In the process, he’s set a personal-re cord (PR) at every distance, including at Baylands and at Crystal Springs in Belmont, the annual site of the Central Coast Section Championships.

“It’s really nice seeing the fruits of your effort and getting results from the work you put into it,” he said.

Stefanopoulos is part of a strong Los Gatos boys team that includes senior Jack Fan, who was the team’s top placer in the Pacific Grove Invita tional at Palo Corona Regional Park in Carmel on Oct. 8. Fan, who is having a terrific season, finished fifth overall in 17:11.10 and Stefanopoulos was sev enth in 17:25.10.

It was a vintage performance from the Wildcats, who won the event with a low score of 66 points. Keaton Wong took 12th in 17:37.60, Jensen Bidmead was 18th in 17:54.30 and Noah Hale was the team’s fifth scoring runner as he placed 28th in 18:12.10.

“We have a great team dynamic with a nice group of seniors and juniors which is nice,” Stefanopoulos said.

“They help me so much, from stretch ing to knowing what loops to run around the area so it’s been fun.”

The Los Gatos girls team has also excelled and won the Pacific Grove Invitational, with senior Sophie Tau leading the way. Tau ran away from the field at Palo Corona, clocking 19:13 over the 3.1-mile course to win by 53 seconds.

Addison Lundstrom was third in 20:22.90, Shea Elmore ninth in 20:39.20, Kate Herron 21st in 21:34.70, Erika Snell 29th in 21:55.30 and Tatum Pyle 30th in 22:04.80. Abigail Zolla has also been a key con tributor on the team since last season.

Tau has two first-place finishes to go along with a fourth, fifth and sixthplace result. She had a breakout junior season in 2021, taking second in the Division I race of the CCS Champion ships, and has continued her ascen sion this year as the team’s top runner.

Tau has a PR of 18:15 at Crystal

Springs and went 18:23.2 in the sec ond Santa Clara Valley League De Anza Division meet on Oct. 4. She tends to rise to the occasion in big races and a PR at Crystal this season seems likely.

Neither the Los Gatos boys nor the girls team is favored to win the SCVAL Finals, which along with the West Catholic Athletic League are the two toughest in the section for cross coun try. However, Stefanopoulos and Tau could challenge for top-5 individual spots, perhaps even top-3.

Stefanopoulos went 15:39.8 to finish second overall at the second league meet, a huge 18-second PR at Crystal. Stefanopoulos has run Crystal enough times to where he’s dialed in his strate gy at the famed Belmont course.

“I don’t like to lead at all in the first mile,” he said. “I like to follow some body until the second mile, then I’ll push up. Then in the last 400 meters it’s a sprint and you’re going all out.”

Stefanopoulos said his finishing kick has improved to the point where he tends to pass several runners in the fi nal 400 meters at Crystal Springs and in the final 100 at other courses. He chalks up his strong kick to consistent ly doing 5-mile runs at 6:20-mile pace.

“A lot of my meets I’ve passed three to four people in the last 100 meters which has gotten me from fifth or sixth to sec ond or third,” he said. “I used to always get out-kicked so it’s nice I’m seeing results from working on my speed.”

Speaking of speed, Stefanopoulos’ goal before the season started was to go sub-15:40 at Crystal, so now he’s adjusted his goal time to sub-15:30.

“I feel like eventually sub-15:30 is just testing the waters,” he said.

Stefanopoulos learned a lot from the spring track and field season, when he went 4:20.15 in the mile about a third of the way through the season. However, he never got closer to going sub-4:20 the rest of the way.

“The amount of training I was doing at that moment caused me to peak too early,” he said. “I never beat 4:20 which I’m still pretty mad about. I think this year I’ll definitely beat it based on the facts of my training numbers at this moment and just knowing you have to go up slowly in mileage and build it up (rather than doing too much too soon).”

HE’S FAST Aydon Stefanopoulos races in the Pacific Grove Cross Country Invitational at Palo Corona Regional Park in Carmel on Oct. 8. The Los Gatos High sophomore took seventh overall in 17 minutes, 25.10 seconds, with the boys team winning the event.

Jonathan Natividad

LOCAL SCENE

AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION SUPPORTERS PREPARE FOR UPCOMING EVENTS

The women of Silicon Valley's Cir cle of Red, who financially support the education and research of wom en's health for the local chapter of the American Heart Association, recently held their Summer Garden Party and meeting at the home of Sydene Kober in Monte Sereno.

As they enjoyed their hors d' oeu vres and libations mingling about the gardens and pool, Executive Director Laura Steinfeldt spoke to the group about the new organization at the American Heart Association and how it would affect the local organization which has been directed/run by Anita Del Grande, Marie LoPresto, Carol Wallace and Laura Harris.

Upcoming events will include the annual Go Red For Women Lun cheon in February. For information, visit goredforwomen.org.

—Trisha Leeper

MICHAEL CATALANO HONORED BY HOUSINGWIRE

HousingWire (HW) announced re cently that Michael Catalano, co-found er and general partner at PURE Prop erty Management, has been named a HW 2022 Vanguard. The award rec ognizes 100 executives in the housing economy for their outstanding leader ship, vital contributions to their com panies, and the dynamic way they are changing the industry.

“The 2022 Vanguard honorees rep resent the housing economy’s elite leaders who have made an unmistak

able impact on the industry at-large and continue to drive growth and in spire their organizations,” HW Media Editor in Chief Sarah Wheeler said.

“With these leaders at the helm, com panies are able to weather the current market to fight another day.”

Catalano, a Los Gatos resident, co-founded PURE Property Man agement with fintech pioneer Joseph Polverari in October 2020 with a vi sion to make renting a home a simple and satisfying experience for all. In two years, PURE Property Manage ment has grown to manage more than 20,000 single family residential prop erties across 23 states and achieved a $300 million valuation in its first 15 months of operating.

“It is an honor to be recognized as a HW Vanguard and to be associated with such an esteemed group of lead ers in the housing industry,” Catalano

said. “We are excited to continue to scale our company with seasoned pro fessionals and a collaborative culture of innovation focused on improving the residential renting experience for investors, residents and property man agers.”

WARBY PARKER OPENS

IN LOS GATOS

Warby Parker announced that it opened its newest location at Old Town Los Gatos, 50 University Ave., on Oct. 1, its 26th store in California.

The business offers a selection of eyewear, contacts and accessories, in cluding an assortment of sun and op tical offerings, along with daily contact lenses.

➝ warbyparker.com/retail/los-gatos/ old-town-los-gatos.

PARTY WITH A PURPOSE The women of Silicon Valley's Circle of Red held a meeting in Monte Sereno.

Trisha Leeper

Public Hearing Notice

VACANCY ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF PUBLIC FACILITIES FINANCING CORPORATION

Who: Santa Clara Valley Water District (Valley Water)

The mission of Valley Water is to provide Silicon Valley safe, clean water for a healthy life, environment, and economy. Led by a seven-member board of directors, Valley Water is a public agency committed to providing a reliable supply of safe, clean drinking water, flood protection and environmental stewardship to the residents and business of Santa Clara County.

What: The Board of Directors of Valley Water intends to fill a vacant director position on the Public Facilities Financing Corporation (PFFC).

The PFFC is a nonprofit public benefit corporation whose primary purpose is to provide assistance to Valley Water in financing the acquisition, construction and improvement of public facilities for Valley Water. Directors on the PFFC Board of Directors serve as volunteers.

Responsibilities of the PFFC director are to perform any and all duties imposed by law, by the PFFC’s Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws, or by resolution of the Valley Water Board. The PFFC Board of Directors meets at such times and places as required to conduct PFFC business, usually from one to three times annually.

To be eligible for appointment consideration, an interested party must reside within Santa Clara County and must continue to reside therein while serving on the PFFC. The Valley Water Board is seeking interested candidates with experience in and understanding of the financial market, the issuance of bonds, areas of finance, accounting, public administration, and/or local/ state/federal governmental work experience.

When: Interested candidates should submit a letter of interest with the following information:

• Name, phone number, residential address, and email address

• Summary of educational background, professional work experience, and any relevant knowledge of or training in areas listed above

• Any contribution or participation on a Valley Water commission, committee and/or volunteer opportunity, etc.

• A commitment to attend scheduled PFFC meetings as required

Where: Letters of interest should be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. on Monday, October 31, 2022, to:

Santa Clara Valley Water District

Attn: Clerk of the Board 5750 Almaden Expressway, San Jose, CA 69118

Or by email to clerkoftheboard@valleywater.org

Information packets can be obtained online at www.valleywater.org or in person at District Headquarters, 5700 Almaden Expressway, San Jose, California.

OFFICERS RECOGNIZED FOR SAVING LIVES, NABBING THIEVES

92-year-old civilian honored for walking 5,800 miles on foot

Drew Penner, Reporter

Police officers and civilians were honored for going above the call of duty during an official luncheon at tended by more than 100 people on Oct. 6.

The Los Gatos Monte-Sereno Police Foundation event, held at the History Club of Los Gatos, bestowed accolades for recovering thousands of dollars in Apple products, working with home less people and for saving lives.

“We’re standing here in awe of the bravery and expertise of these people,” said Patti Perry, a LGMSPF board member, commending Chief Jamie Field for inviting the commu nity to hear the details behind the awards. “She went through all of the cool stories.”

Meritorious Conduct Awards, which go to employees or volunteers who demonstrate stellar performance during an assignment of great re sponsibility, went to Sgt. Katherine Mann, Detective Mike Birley, Re cords Lead Yolanda Lira and Com munity Service Officer Evan Abate.

Perry said her interest was par ticularly piqued when it came to the The Merit Award, which is reserved for people who exhibit outstanding performance in unusual, complicated or hazardous conditions, or over an extended duration.

That’s because Officers Allexis Bel ligan, Todd Flemming and Riley Friz zell and Sgt. Logan Howard were recognized for the arrest of suspected thieves after thousands of dollars of electronics were stolen from the Wal nut Creek Apple Store.

Field told the Los Gatan the officers collaborated with East Bay officials to respond rapidly when the property crime occurred in July.

Within an hour LGMSPD officials had entered license plate data into the Los Gatos camera system’s database.

And an hour after that, the of ficers were able to apprehend five suspects—and two vehicles—without having to resort to forceful arrest tac tics, she added.

“That’s a lot to work through in terms of paperwork,” she said. “This

team was able to navigate that.”

LGMSPD even dispatched an offi cer to the Apple Store on North Santa Cruz Avenue in case the thieves tried to strike again, Field said.

Vice Mayor Maria Ristow, who was standing in for Mayor Rob Rennie who was unable to attend the event, said she, too, was impressed by the conduct of these law enforcers.

“They found a ghost gun,” she said, referring to one of the firearms confis cated alongside tens of thousands of dollars in Apple merchandise. “They were able to safely apprehend these criminals.”

Ristow said the arrest sends the message that Los Gatos means busi

ness when it comes to using surveil lance technology to catch bad actors.

“I think it’s probably diverted and prevented crimes,” she said of the Flock Safety license plate readers that helped Los Gatos officers crack the case. “They only keep the data for 30 days.”

Ristow said she really enjoyed the midday ceremony.

“I think our police department is integral to our community,” she said, adding an event like this serves to build trust with residents. “I think it’s also a good chance for our community to show its support for the police de partment.”

The Police Commendation Award

went to Officer Zach Low and Officer Delgado.

This award is for those who excel during work carrying great personal safety risks.

The Lifesaving Award was earned by both Officer Ben Taylor and Officer Riley Frizzell.

The death-defying results must be backed up by documentation in order for a recipient to be eligible.

Frizzell was also surprised with a California Highway Patrol award for his work recovering stolen vehicles.

The officer, who has been with the department for just over a year, located 12 stolen vehicles—including six which were still occupied (leading to six arrests).

He credited Los Gatos’ plate reading tech for being able to notch that dou ble-digit figure, but notes it's still up to humans to locate the suspects.

Frizzell says he doesn’t really like being the center of attention, but says it is nice to be honored.

“I’m just doing my job,” he said. “I like helping people. I like solving problems.”

Sgt. Bill Hoyt was honored with the Civic Achievement Award for his work setting up the Flock plate readers around town, and for working with homeless residents.

The award goes to people who show unselfish devotion to community members or who help shine a positive light on the town.

And the Special Recognition Award went to the Disaster Aid Response Team (DART), which Field called a “force multiplier.”

Only those who bring favorable rec ognition to the agency can have this honor bestowed on them.

“It’s their 40th year,” she said. “They help out with a lot of our special events.”

Don Stillwell, a police VIP Program volunteer since 2002, was honored with the Civic Achievement Award.

Field said he was being recognized for walking a total of 5,800 miles be tween Campbell and Lexington Hills as part of his community service.

“That’s the distance to New York and back,” she said, adding Stillwell handed out 5,685 welcome packets to new residents in that time. “And he’s 92 years old.”

The department will hold its com munity police graduation ceremony Oct. 27 in Council Chambers.

SERVING THE COMMUNITY Los Gatos Monte-Sereno Police Officer Riley Frizzell was among the law enforcement personnel commended on Oct. 6 for their work.

Drew Penner/Los Gatan

HARMONIE PARK TAPS FORMER MAYOR TO LAUNCH LAND-USE CONSULTANCY

Drew Penner, Reporter

One of the developers behind the North 40 project along Highway 17 in Los Gatos has brought the town’s for mer mayor, Marcia Jensen, on board to launch a consultancy.

The Bachman Avenue-headquartered Harmonie Park Development, a com pany with around 10 million square feet under management, is spinning off Harmonie Advisory Partners to pro vide land-use, market research and poli cy-analysis services through a new entity.

The firm says it’s aiming to help pub lic, private and nonprofit clients secure grants, rework general plans, streamline permits and tackle other real estate-re lated challenges.

“We hope to provide productive solu tions by helping clients understand the benefits of how good policy leverages the entrepreneurship of the private sector, while always keeping the community well-being in mind,” Jensen said in an Oct. 5 release. “I think our unique set of skills differentiates us from other public advisory firms.”

While on Council, Jensen was one of the strongest backers of the North 40, which is under construction—and quickly becoming one of the most distinguishable features of the community at the southern borders of Campbell and San Jose.

Many locals stridently opposed the lux ury-townhome, retail and affordable-se nior-housing build, and Jensen even called out some naysayers for “bullying” and van dalizing developers’ vehicles, according to a Silicon Valley Business Journal article.

Back in August 2016, when Grosve nor Americas, SummerHill Homes and Eden Housing were the firms angling for a thumbs-up from the Town, Jensen made a motion to approve the project.

But no one else came alongside to second it.

However, the current mayor, Rob Rennie—at the time Councilmember Rennie—tried a compromise motion to approve the project with a few tweaks.

Jensen was the only person to vote with him, the Silicon Valley Business Journal reported.

The development application was lat er denied and ended up in court, with Los Gatos losing in the end.

Harmonie Park bought out the com mercial portion of Phase 1 (around

60,000 square feet of leasable space) and is representing Grosvenor for Phase 2.

Jensen will now be leading a team that will evaluate future projects and help communities navigate ministerial pro cesses being rolled out by the California State Legislature.

“As a complement to Harmonie Park’s private development practice, Harmo nie Advisory Partners will offer services for clients who are looking for effective solutions to reach community land use goals, re-use existing assets, and design policies that achieve both visionary and civic goals,” a spokesperson said.

The other partners are Wendi Baker and Don Capobres.

Before Baker joined Harmonie Park in 2017, she served as vice president of development for SummerHill Homes. Capobres was a senior vice president with Grosvenor Americas from 2012-2016 and has participated in multiple community forums in Los Gatos over the past year.

The night before her new gig was an nounced, Jensen took to the virtual Council floor to advocate against the referendum drive that paused two development-fo cused elements of the 2040 General Plan.

“I’ve made a policy of trying to not speak on things, unless I thought they were very important to the town, and something that I’d spent a lot of time working on,” she said. “I just don’t un derstand why the Town would suspend years of work in anticipation of some thing that may or may not happen. So, I urge you to put this on the ballot when appropriate, but don’t act as though it’s been past. Go forward with your plans.”

Council had approved a plan to raise the density of the North 40 site to 40 units per acre, back in June. The Town Attor ney maintains California law requires Los Gatos to put its upzoning plans on hold, while the referendum is pending.

Our unique set of skills differentiates us from other public advisory firms. Marcia Jensen

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