Los Gatan 11-16-2022

THE TALE OF THE 30+ MISSING BALLOTS

Votes that were found at Sugarloaf Road successfully returned to elections officials

By Drew Penner, Reporter

A rural site about four miles past the Santa Cruz Moun tains summit this week be came the focus of the high est-priority investigation by the body that investigates mail system misdeeds.

That’s because this patch of land along Sugarloaf Road, just north of Scotts Valley, is where a number of discarded ballots were discovered, the United States Postal Service told the Los Gatan.

“This does not happen of ten,” USPS spokesperson Justin Hastings said Monday, noting its law enforcement arm, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, was in the middle of gath ering additional information. “They’re like the FBI for the Postal Service.”

Sugarloaf Road is located in Santa Cruz County, about a 30 minute drive—without traffic— from the Santa Clara County elections office, at 1555 Berger

Ballots, 6

TURKEY BOWL ORGANIZERS GEARING UP FOR 31ST YEAR

By Drew Penner, Reporter

Over three decades, Los Ga tos’ own Thanksgiving Day am ateur football tournament has established quite the legendary reputation.

And on Nov. 24, the National Turkey Bowl League will cele brate their 31st year.

“We started in Los Gatos with seven guys, and it just grew,” said Matt Ober, the NTBL com missioner. “It’s pretty big.”

Stories are told of the time it poured rain, turning the event—held at the time at the Los Gatos High School field— into the Mud Bowl.

And the event has attract ed some interesting bold-faced names over the years.

➝ Turkey Bowl, 8

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FINISHING STRONG Jack Fan finished 15th to help the Los Gatos High boys cross country team to victory in the CCS Division II Championships on Nov. 12 at Crystal Springs in Belmont. Turn to page 11 for the full story.

Raul Ebio

Accept Nothing Less than being treated like a

person, not a patient.

VOL.2

MOORE COMMANDS SUPPORT IN URBAN AREAS;

Pulcrano Executive Editor & Publisher

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Alicia Trujillo

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BADAME WINS BIG IN HILLSIDES; RENNIE HANGING ON

Alex Shultz, Steve Chen and Misty Davies top high school board race

By Drew Penner, Reporter

As the Nov. 8 election results rolled in, the gap between the top two coun cil candidates and the rest of the pack increased, with both progressive and slow-growth factions finding a can didate they liked, as voters registered lukewarm on Mayor Rob Rennie’s performance in office.

Rob Moore’s early top-dog status held strong. The young Democrat, who previously interned with Con gresswoman Anna Eshoo’s office, won in low-lying urban precincts, getting 22.99% of the vote overall (6,994 votes), while Mary Badame, who mocked Sacramento’s housing-af fordability agenda during campaign events, carried the wealthy hillside areas, bringing in 21.60% of the total vote (6,571 votes.)

Three seats were being contested.

Over the week Badame began to pull away from third-place finisher Mayor Rob Rennie, increasing her lead by almost half a percentage point.

Rennie had secured 5,899 votes (19.39%), however it appeared some voters decided to punish him for not coming out strongly enough against residential development recommen dations.

Though Rennie was instrumental in carving out the single-family zone as immune from contributing density increases toward Los Gatos’ efforts to fulfill state housing mandates, some residents had criticized the compro mise he brokered to pass now-paused development provisions of the 2040 General Plan.

The Los Gatos Community Alli ance, a local group behind the refer endum drive that led to the shelving of the Community Design and LandUse Elements of the new General Plan, had railed against Moore and Rennie while supporting Badame and Stump.

Nevertheless, Rennie was still ahead of Stump—a candidate whose

motto was “Slow the Growth”—as he was trailing with 5,546 votes (18.23%).

Long-time businesswoman Marga ret Smith, in fourth place at 4,014 votes (13.20%), clearly resonated among some residents with her prag matic, non-confrontational approach to local politics—but not enough to win the day.

While the votes were being counted, Planning Commissioner Reza Tavana, missed another of his regularly-sched uled Planning Commission meetings, Nov. 9. He was sitting at 1,392 votes (4.58%).

Commissioners are allowed to skip eight regular meetings in a 12-month period. Tavana is up to six absences in the last year.

Meanwhile, in the Los Gatos-Sara toga Joint Union High School District race, Alex Shultz was out front with 11,737 votes (25.87%), followed by Steve Chen who had 11,389 votes (25.1%), then Misty Davies at 9,010 votes (19.86%), David Guidry who’d brought in 6,762 votes (14.90%), with Chris Miller garnering 6,475 votes (14.27%).

Three seats are up for grabs.

Schultz was winning in Lexington Hills, Loma Prieta and the bulk of Los Gatos, while Chen was winning downtown and in north Saratoga, and Davies found pockets of support in south Saratoga and along Hicks Road in the east.

More than a quarter of Santa Cruz County voters selected Chen (25.32% - 1,074 votes), with Shultz in second there (23.81% - 1,010 votes), followed by Davies (21% - 891 votes), then Guidry (16.81% - 713 votes) and Miller (12.78% - 542 votes).

And in Saratoga, Measure C, which proposed term limits for the City’s council, passed with more than 75% of voters in support. In line for one of three seats on Saratoga City Council were Yan Zhao, the incumbent, in first with 25.57% of the vote (7,760 votes), followed by Belal Aftab at 22.93% (6,959 votes) and Chuck Page at 21.45% (6,508 votes). Bill Dalton was in fourth at 19.01% (5,768 votes) and Priya Rajaram Shastri was in fifth at 11.03% (3,348 votes).

Los Gatos’ business tax moderniza tion effort—Measure J—was ahead with 53.58% in support. It needs a simple majority to succeed.

Measure M, the Loma Prieta Joint Union School District parcel tax— which needed a 2/3 vote to pass— was just over the line, with 69.17% in favor. Measure O, the Campbell Union High School District parcel tax (also needing a 2/3rds majority), had found 75.83% in support. Measure T, the Campbell Union School District school bond proposal, was at 69.07% in favor—though it only needs to clear the 55% threshold.

Dan

Mary Badame

Rob Moore

POSTAL SERVICE INVESTIGATES DISCARDED ELECTION BALLOTS

Ballots, from page 1

Dr. in San Jose, where the ballots were supposed to end up.

It is a popular turn-out for motor ists traveling along Highway 17.

Hastings said he couldn’t comment on the ongoing investigation, but not ed it had been given top priority at the agency, which investigates things like mail fraud and package theft.

Michael Borja, a communications officer with the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, said they were notified by NBC on Nov. 11, three days after Election Day, that a member of the public had found the missing bal lots alongside other mail.

“It looked like it was from the USPS mail stream,” he said. “From there we began working with the USPS to re solve it as quickly as possible.”

Borja said it’s too soon to have a sense of what really occurred.

“We’re very concerned and we’re taking it very seriously,” he said. “We would like to get the ballots in our hands.”

County elections officials hope USPS can wrap up its probe by next week.

“Once they conclude their inves tigation we plan to take possession of the ballots,” Borja said Monday, noting authorities would need to review the law to see if these citizens’ votes can be counted. “There’s many safeguards.”

Borja says he’s not aware of any other time this has happened.

“It’s a rare occurrence,” he said, adding the investigation might reveal no postal worker is at fault. “It could also be someone taking stuff from USPS.

“We can’t assume anything.”

On a midday visit to the Sugarloaf turn-off, Monday, the Los Gatan dis covered another discarded collection of previously-opened mail, just over the edge.

Senders from San Jose and Camp bell had dispatched messages to re cipients across California, in New York, Illinois, Maryland and Penn sylvania.

There was a letter where someone was trying to donate braille books to blind children.

One was a Thank You card for a birthday gift.

A letter that was destined for San Quentin, full of encouragement for a prisoner, never made it. The same thing happened for a message to a Mule Creek State Prison inmate.

Another letter contained a son’s birthday wishes for his mother.

Someone sent the Sierra Club some moral support—but no money.

And one piece of mail, a payment on a United MileagePlus account, indicated there was $2,300 includ ed—although, perhaps unsurprising ly, that appeared to be missing from the trove.

The Los Gatan informed the Postal Inspection Service about the addi tional missing mail and they said they would look into it.

A spokesperson declined to specu late on whether the littering of these documents on the hillside could be connected to the diverted votes.

No ballots or other election mate rials were found among the dumped materials. A syringe was located a few yards away.

USPS officials said two Santa Clara County officials arrived Monday around noon in San Francisco at a postal office and successfully collect ed the ballots that were found, days earlier.

“They seemed pretty happy to get them back,” Hastings said, noting USPS had verified these were, in fact, mail-in ballots. “We didn’t think they were fraudulent.”

Under California law, ballots can be counted if postmarked or dated on or before Election Day, Santa Clara County officials said.

“These ballots will need to undergo the same validation and signature verifi cation processes as all other mail ballots before they can be counted,” said Steve Goltiao, a spokesperson for the Regis trar of Voters. “Any ballots whose enve lopes have been opened or sufficiently torn such that the ballot may have been tampered with cannot be counted.”

The county says it will notify affect ed voters upon completion of its own review.

USPS turned over approximately 35 ballots to the County on Monday afternoon, Goltiao said.

DISCARDED MAIL During a visit to Sugarloaf Road on Monday, the Los Gatan found additional discarded mail along the embankment.

Drew Penner / Los Gatan

identity + strategy + design

ALL ARE INVITED TO THANKSGIVING DAY TURKEY BOWL

from page 1

There’s Mark Kibort, who made a name for himself starring on the American Gladiators TV show (“We call him Gladiator,” says Ober.)

There were the excellent reports from recently-passed local scribe Dick Sparrer.

They’ve had a player with a Detroit Lions pedigree become part of the action, as well as the brother-in-law of Grey Cup MVP Jeff Garcia.

Doug “Fresh” Webster brought his skills honed in pro football leagues in Canada and Europe.

And Ober can’t help but remember one year when 49ers player Mark Byers took the field.

This was before they switched to the flag-football model.

The two collided, dispatching Ober to the emergency room.

“He’s a big boy,” Ober said, remem bering the contusion he received. “It’s almost like someone driving a metal spike in your shoulder.”

That was in the days when they

played on the Los Gatos High School pitch.

“It was pretty hardcore,” he said. “Classic.”

When Ober was in the hospital, he noticed fellow patients with cleats getting treatment for injuries sus tained in other turkey bowl games.

That’s when it really hit home just how much of an American tradition it had become. He made a commit ment to himself to keep the Los Ga tos iteration alive.

Ober is 50 now, and he’s more than happy to ensure play is much more docile, so people of all ages can par ticipate safely.

In fact, boys and girls as young as 12, as well as players older than 60 take part.

At the beginning of the big day, at tendees get a pep talk that includes a lesson about sportsmanlike conduct.

“No unnecessary roughness or I’ll kick you off the field,” Ober will say.

“Don’t act like you’re a wolverine.”

Nevertheless, he’s still required to carry insurance (this year’s policy is for $1 million).

There’s no pre-entry required. People just show up around 8am at Creekside Sports Park (930 Uni versity Ave.). And, best yet, it’s to tally free (although donations are accepted).

The $1,500-2,000 cost is under written by local sponsors, who also provide items for the silent auction.

Donuts and a turducken will also be on offer.

“Over 200 people seem to come out to this thing now,” he said. “Now it’s 30-on-30, but we have to sub people out.”

There are only 22 players on the field at a time.

Teams are selected right at 8:45am. One game is held at 9am. And then the winner of that game plays the winner of the 10am game.

The team that’s victorious in the final is awarded the Bob Brandyber

ry Trophy, named after one of the long-time Turkey Bowl boosters who recently died of heart failure.

“Every year he was the first person on the field to help me,” Ober said.

“He was a good man.”

One player from each team that makes the final round gets an MVP trophy.

And, unlike the Bob Brandyberry Trophy, which must be returned af ter a year so it can be awarded again, the MVPs get to keep theirs.

Ober recommends prospective en trants to start getting ready now, particularly since many aren’t avid football players.

“Everybody train and warm up,” he said, thinking of the Turkey Bowl tagline: “Where athletes are reborn, once a year, on Thanksgiving Day.”

The Turkey Bowl will be held at Creekside Sports Park 930 Universi ty Ave. on Nov. 24, 2022. Teams are picked right at 8:45am.

Turkey Bowl,

MUD BOWL The year it rained is known to those who were there at the Los Gatos High School field as the Mud Bowl.

SERIOUS COMPETITION Flag football referee Bill Kelly laying down the law.

Courtesy of Matt Ober

Courtesy of Matt Ober

WHO SAYS

The slide titled, “Los Gatos Crime: Antisemitism,” articulated some of their deepest worries for the Jewish family.

It featured police photos of the arrest of Los Gatos resident Wesley Martines, who was found with an anti-Jewish manifesto, high-powered firearms and ammunition, last year.

Planning Commissioners weigh security concerns with upholding Municipal Code

Drew Penner, Reporter

A Los Gatos couple who said they need ed their six-foot fence in part to protect themselves against antisemitic violence has been told they must tear it down.

The Planning Commission unani mously refused to allow an exception to the three-foot-max rule for the property at 755 Blossom Hill Road, during its reg ularly scheduled meeting Nov. 9.

Commissioner Reza Tavana was ab sent. He was, at the time, trailing the rest of the pack in his bid for a Council seat, according to partially-reported results.

The Kohanchi family’s Microsoft PowerPoint presentation about why they should get to keep the fence pointed to “crime rates,” “antisemitism concerns,” prospective business plans, Town “hy pocrisy” and “ordinance contradiction.”

There’s a lot of foot traffic where they’re located, between the Terraces of Los Gatos retirement facility, the King’s Court Shop ping Center and the Camellia Blossom Pro fessional Building, David Kohanchi said.

“There’s a lot of very suspicious char acters,” he said. “We feel that we need the added protection.”

Due to the positioning of the Terraces, about 100 people can look into their kitchen, he added, noting someone was recently killed in a vehicle accident with in a block of their home.

Their house was even broken-into be fore they owned it. The neighbor two doors down was also burglarized. And the day they moved in, in October 2020—right after his wife Ilana delivered a baby—they had to contend with squatters, he said.

“Very nice couple,” he recalled. “We asked them to leave.”

At one point, someone trespassed into their backyard, trying to snatch persim mons, he added.

“I think we need to reevaluate the safe ty of our community,” he said. “Something that was astounding to us is…we’re within a very close area to about 200 sex offend ers—one within a few homes of us.”

David noted that antisemitic graffiti was discovered a couple months later at the community center where their child attends preschool.

“We’re quite concerned given the cur rent rhetoric in the world,” David said, clicking to the next slide which read, “we feel our steel galvanized fence will serve as a deterrent to both violent and property specific crimes, as well as an tisemitic acts of aggression.”

But they’re also attempting to main tain the current level of fortification at their 20,000 square foot property— which, in addition to the persimmons, grows avocados, oranges, peaches, apricots, tomatoes and mint—prior to developing vending machine, produce and exotic car rental businesses.

He reiterated concerns with reaching staff during the pandemic, and said they found text indicating they could build a six-foot fence without a setback.

As part of his case for town “hypoc risy,” he showed a number of photos of gates in the neighborhood.

“You look through Los Gatos—there are fences everywhere,” he said. “Within a two-minute drive, we found 39 fences.”

Planning Manager Jennifer Armer said she believes the applicant got incorrect in formation about the type of fence allowed due to outdated information on the Building Department’s section of the Town website.

“That was delayed in being updated,” she said. “The Municipal Code was up dated properly.”

The Town Attorney said case law sides with municipalities in situations like these, even when incorrect information has been provided.

Assistant Planner Savannah Van Akin said staff attempted to reach out to the applicant on numerous occasions but got little-to-no response each time.

Town Engineer WooJae Kim said the fence is a safety hazard because some one turning into the residence could impede traffic because the gate is so close to the street.

“Blossom Hill Road is an arterial for the town,” he said. “Also, there’s quite a bit of pedestrian and student traffic on the sidewalks.”

Commissioner Melanie Hanssen said if Los Gatos is serious about preserving its small-town character they can’t be letting residents build tall fences all over the place.

FAMILY

THEY NEED FENCE TO PROTECT AGAINST ANTISEMITIC VIOLENCE TOLD TO TEAR IT DOWN

LOS GATOS FALLS IN CCS THRILLER

Wildcats’ memorable season comes to end

Emanuel Lee, Sports editor

Head coach Mark Krail thought so highly of the players on this year’s Los Gatos High football team that he apol ogized to them moments after a heart breaking 29-28 overtime loss to Mitty in the Central Coast Section Division I playoff quarterfinals on Nov. 11.

“I love this group and that’s what makes it so gut-wrenching is when you have a group that does everything right all the time in the community, in the classroom, in town, it makes it all that much more difficult,” he said. “I didn’t have words. I apologized that I let them down. [It was a great year but] it’s just an empty feeling. I mean you have a regular-season like we did and you come to the playoffs and you lose a tough one.”

It was deja vu for the No. 3 seed Wildcats (8-3), who lost to a team from

the West Catholic Athletic League in the same playoff divisional round for the second year in a row. In 2021 it was Bellarmine, and this time it was to the No. 6 seed Monarchs (8-3).

In both instances, Los Gatos played its foes to a virtual standstill but came up a play or two short to earn the victory. The Mitty game had it all, featuring nonstop action and swings in momentum shifts, especially in the last, furious 10 minutes of regulation.

The score was 21-21 in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter when the Wildcats had a first-and-goal from the 7-yard line. Emiliano Mejia, who had another superb game in rushing for 145 yards on a workmanlike 25 car ries, went on another tackle-busting run to the goal line.

But just before he crossed the goal line, the ball squirted free and Mitty recov ered it in the end zone. The Los Gatos sideline was furious but after the referees huddled, they ruled it was a fumble. Mit ty took the turnover and methodically

marched down the field and reached the 4-yard line with just under four minutes left in the fourth quarter.

That’s when sophomore linebacker Henry Masters intercepted a pass at the 1 and ran it back 95 yards to the Mitty 4. However, Los Gatos was called for a penalty during the runback which sent the ball back to the 19. The drive stalled after a chop block penal ty, resulting in a punt.

Mitty got the ball back at its 7 with 1:47 left and two timeouts in hand. A couple of big plays put the Monarchs in position to kick a 30-yard field goal to win it, but 6-foot-5 defensive line man Lyndon Bailey tipped the ball at the line of scrimmage, leaving the kick well short and forcing overtime.

Both teams easily scored on their OT possessions, but Mitty, which got the ball second, elected to go for two points and the win and converted on a 5-yard pass. Just like that, the Wild cats’ season was over.

“I thought we had the momentum

(in overtime),” Krail said. “You want to be on defense second. That’s an advantage because you know exactly what it is you have to do. They didn’t play conservative and you give them credit for that. We just didn’t stop them.”

Krail continued: “It was a great football game, an unbelievable game. It’s cliche but I couldn’t be more proud of our guys. What a great, clas sic high school football game.”

Krail had many endearing and poignant moments with several of his players afterward, noting things are always emotional for him and the seniors because it’s their final time on the field together. Mejia was relentless again and epitomized the team’s never say die attitude, while Boyd was Krail’s only returning start ing quarterback in his decade as Los Gatos coach.

“Jake, he was such a pleasure to coach,” Krail said. “I think he thinks like I do and oftentimes we’re on the same page. He’s got a relentless com petitive spirit that you can’t coach that’s either genetic, instinctive or whatever it is. I’m going to miss him.”

Boyd was laser accurate, complet ing 12-of-17 passes for 184 yards and two TDs with no interceptions. Wil Brennan capped off a breakout season on the gridiron with five re ceptions for 59 yards and two TDs. Thomas finished with four catches for 70 yards and a score and Luchi Casale had two receptions for 50 yards.

Defensively, Bailey was a disruptor getting into the Mitty backfield with a sack among his three tackles for losses. Landon Heard totaled a teamhigh 13 tackles, while Casale and Masters had 10 tackles each.

Even though Krail was thinking about the dozens of departing seniors including standout Nicolas Ramos, pretty soon he’ll be looking forward to next season as the Wildcats re turn a plethora of talent, including a loaded junior class who performed admirably this season.

The list includes Jaylen Thomas, Spencer Burg, Ryan Vernale and Bai ley, just to name a few.

“Lyndon played awesome tonight,” Krail said. “We have a lot of good juniors on this team and our future is bright.”

SEA OF BLACK The Los Gatos High defense, which has been a source of strength all season, converges on a Mitty ball carrier during their Central Coast Section Division I playoff quarterfinal game on Nov. 11.

Jonathan Natividad

LOS GATOS TEAM WINS CCS TITLE

Tau, Elmore also headed to State

Emanuel Lee, Sports editor

Few boys cross country teams have a storied history such as Los Gatos High.

From 1980 to 2014, the Wildcats won 10 Central Coast Section cham pionships, had five runner-up finishes and five individual champions, includ ing two—Matthew Petrillo and Chris Foster—who were repeat champions.

So, the Wildcats’ latest team title— besting the Division II field Nov. 12 at Crystal Springs in Belmont—was special because it was their first in eight years and put them back into the upper echelon. The victory earned Los Gatos an automatic berth into the CIF State Championships on Nov. 26 at Woodward Park in Fresno.

On the girls side, Sophie Tau and Shea Elmore qualified for state as in dividuals as the team finished fourth in a stacked field, easily the toughest out of the five CCS divisions. The boys team had a low score of 114 points to edge St. Francis by 12 positions.

“It was crazy because at the begin ning of the season we all saw the team in D-II and thought maybe we had an outside shot getting third or fourth and making state,” said Jack Fan, who was the Wildcats’ No. 2 runner and placed 15th in a personal-record (PR) of 16 minutes, 18.8 seconds. “But we saw how everyone was progressing really nicely and everything kind of came together near the end of the sea son. We all worked together to make it happen and it’s a really great feeling.”

What made the Wildcats’ win all the more impressive is they trailed St. Francis at the 2-mile split, albeit ever so slightly. Aydon Stefanopoulos continued his tremendous season with a fourth-place individual finish, in 15:34.6, which is a blazing 5:16-mile pace.

Then came Fan, junior Jensen Bid mead (22nd in 16:30.3), senior Kea ton Wong (30th in 16:41.8) and senior

Noah Hale (57h in 17:14.5) to round out the top five scoring runners. Se nior Will Jenkins (66th in 17:29.3) and sophomore Ben Klarich (84th in 17:52.3) completed the seven man team.

Having run Crystal Springs several times, Fan had his race strategy dialed in and then executed it, sticking with the second group of runners off the lead pack before sprinting for the final 800 meters of the course, which is pancake flat.

Fan knew he was running well but all he cared about was helping the team qualify to state.

“I didn’t see my time,” he said. “I was

just focusing mostly on the scoreboard and trying to figure out if we made it to state as a team. I didn’t have a big PR; it was more about how I did to help the team.”

Speaking of helping the team, that’s exactly what the ascending Bidmead has done, particularly the last month. Bidmead hit a massive PR at Crystal in the SCVAL De Anza Division Finals on Nov. 1, then shaved his all-time best another 16 seconds in the CCS Cham pionships.

“It’s been great to see him progress throughout the season,” Fan said. “You see him in workouts and now he’s fi nally able to show how fast he can run

during a race. He really helped push us over St. Francis and be able to win D-II.”

A year ago, a knee injury prevented Fan from having his best season. Fully healthy this time around, Fan has been consistent and reliable in posting fast times throughout the season.

“Last year I had the knee injury un til halfway into the racing season,” Fan said. “I came and tried my best to do what I could to help us compete, but ultimately I wasn’t at full strength last season. So it’s been nice to run being fully healthy and not having to worry about being injured.”

Fan has been running with Jenkins and Wong since they were in the sixth grade, and he’s known Hale for a while, too. Fan insists that during his middle school competition days, at times he didn’t crack the top seven scoring runners.

“It’s been really cool to be on this journey together and see how far we’ve all come since the sixth grade,” he said.

The turning point of Fan’s career, he said, came during his sophomore year when two former Los Gatos High standouts who were serving as assistant coaches connected with Fan and pushed him both mentally and physically. Now, Fan is looking forward to State.

“I’m just trying to make the most of the moment now,” he said.

Meanwhile, Tau and Elmore are mak ing return trips to State, having compet ed there last year with their teammates. Tau has performed admirably all sea son, and she finished sixth in 18:06.8. Not a PR, but a fast time nonetheless.

Elmore took 13th in a season-best time of 18:39.8. A trio of sophomores rounded out the team’s scoring, mean ing the team should be poised to make another run at state next year. Addi son Lundstrom (29th in 19:49.1), Sa rina Salzer-Swartz (32nd in 20:18.2) and Erika Snell (35th in 20:22.9) were the team’s 3-4-5 scoring runners.

Juniors Abigail Zolla and Kate Her ron placed 38th and 47th, respective ly. Los Gatos’ total team time of 1 hour, 37.17 seconds was sixth overall among all five divisions. However, the Wild cats won’t be headed to State because they were in the stacked Division II field, which had the three top teams in the CCS this year in Los Altos, Palo Alto and St. Francis.

losgatan.com : november 16-22, 2022 11

losgatan.com : n ovember

FIERCE Shea Elmore’s determination propelled her to a 13th-place finish in the Division II race of the CCS Championships. The Los Gatos High sophomore locked up the last individual state berth.

Raul Ebio

LOCAL SCENE

BEAUJOLAIS NOUVEAU ARRIVES IN LOS GATOS

The Alliance Française Silicon Valley (AFSV), in partnership with Frenchery and Fabrique Délices, an nounced a Beaujolais Nouveau cele bration and fundraising event on Nov. 19 to support Silicon Valley's French cultural center.

Beaujolais Nouveau Day, or Wine Day, is an annual celebration that has been going on for more than 200 years. It's also an opportunity for French winemakers from the Burgun dy region to showcase their wines, and for friends of France to come together in a festive and convivial atmosphere.

This French tradition celebrates the end of harvest by drinking Beaujolais Nouveau on the third Thursday of No vember. Under French law, the wine is released at midnight, just weeks after the wine's grapes have been harvested. The wine is comprised solely of Ga may, a thin-skinned grape resulting in a light body, low tannin levels, and juicy red fruit flavors.

Beaujolais Nouveau wine is usually accompanied with finger food and music. For the occasion, AF Silicon Valley, in partnership with Frenchery and Fabrique Délices, will feature Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau 2022 paired with a selection of French charcuterie and cheese.

“Beaujolais Nouveau is more than a celebration. It's also an opportuni ty for the Alliance Française Silicon Valley to share the French culture and language with our community,” said Upi Struzak, AFSV's president. “We are all-inclusive. We offer activities and events for native and non-native French speakers.”

The event will be held Nov. 19 from 5-7pm at the AF Silicon Valley Cen ter, 14107 Winchester Blvd., Suite T, in Los Gatos. The event is open to members and non-members. Guests must register at afscv.org/community/ event-rsvp/?event_id=83.

Serving Silicon Valley since 1970, Alliance Française Silicon Valley is a nonprofit organization and the official center of French Language and Cul ture in Silicon Valley.

➝ afscv.org.

FLU SEASON MAY IMPACT RED CROSS BLOOD SUPPLY

The American Red Cross urges blood and platelet donors to give now and help fight the potential impact of seasonal illnesses and a potentially severe flu season on the blood supply.

A blood drive is scheduled in Los Gatos on Nov. 26 from 9:30am to 3:30pm at Addison-Penzak JCC, 14855 Oka Road.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts a serious spread of flu this year and is already reporting an early spike in cases in several states. When seasonal illnesses increase, the number of healthy donors tends to decrease, leaving the Red Cross blood supply vulnerable to a potential short age over the holidays.

Donors—especially those with type O blood and those giving platelets—

can help bolster the blood supply now by making an appointment to give in the coming weeks.

There is no waiting period to donate blood or platelets after receiving a flu shot. Schedule an appointment by us ing the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1.800.733.2767).

As a thank-you, the Red Cross is of fering several opportunities to donors this month:

• All who come to give Nov. 1-22 will receive a $10 e-gift card to a merchant of choice. Details are available at rcblood.org/perks.

• Those who come to give over the Thanksgiving holiday, Nov. 23-27, will get a Red Cross knit beanie, while supplies last.

• All who come out to help Nov. 28Dec. 15 will receive a $10 Amazon. com Gift Card by email. Details are available at rcblood.org/together.

VALLEY MEDICAL, COUNTY LAUNCH GRANT PROGRAM FOR NONPROFITS

Valley Medical Center Founda tion and County of Santa Clara recently launched a $10 million nonprofit grant program.

The Covid-19 Nonprofit Resil iency and Sustainability Grant Pro gram aims to strengthen the sus tainability and responsiveness of nonprofits in Santa Clara County that have been negatively impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, focusing on racial equity.

Nonprofits providing services in Santa Clara County can apply for grants of up to $150,000. A No tice of Funding Availability will be posted soon at vmcfoundation.org/ cvgrants.

Applications will be due on Dec. 19.

WINE DAY The Alliance Française Silicon Valley invites the public to a celebration of Beaujolais Nouveau on Nov. 19.

DISCOVER LOST GATOS

film star Clara Bow would’ve been a bit too risqué for Mrs. Black when it opened at The Strand years later. According to ads for the 1927 film, the actress was the “Irrepressible Ir resistible It Girl” who pursued a “Vir ile, Masterful Lover” played by actor Antonio Moreno, who also had “it.” The word “sex” was taboo back then, so “it” was a common euphemism for “sex appeal.”

After a September 1929 fire, the neoclassical building was remodeled and reopened as The Premier. Silent films were giving way to “talkies” and the owners replaced the Wurlitzer with a synchronized sound system. An ornate vertical sign and marquee were also added. But the redesigned façade didn’t last long. It was shat tered in the early morning hours of Feb. 21, 1933, when a bomb was shoved through a slot in the box office. The roar of the blast startled residents all over town, and bricks and plaster were hurled 50 feet. Po lice thought the bombing might be due to labor troubles, but the motive was never determined and no arrests were made.

IT’S SHOWTIME!

The imminent reopening of the Los Gatos Theater is the perfect time to take a look back at the history of this major downtown site.

The Los Gatos Canning Company occupied most of the block for 30 years before the construction of a movie theater. The cannery, estab lished in 1882 to serve the grow ing number of local orchardists, was

staffed by what the Los Gatos Weekly News described as “labor which is not in demand in other business, namely women, boys, and girls.” The workday started at 6am and continued until 9pm six days a week. A female “expert hand” was paid $3.50 for a 15-hour day while children were paid $2 or less per day.

After the cannery was sold, the building was torn down and replaced by several retail storefronts and the

town’s first movie theater. It was called The Strand and it opened with great fanfare on Nov. 18, 1916 as one of the first Bay Area motion picture theaters outside of San Francisco. A Wurlitzer organ was installed to play the musical score which accompanied silent films of the era. Tickets were 11 cents for children and 25 cents for adults. The film industry was still in its infancy, and moviegoing was such a novelty that an estimated 900 peo ple showed up for 600 seats.

Mrs. R. M. Black, lessee of the new theater, announced that she would operate “an up-to-the-minute picture house, showing films of the highest and cleanest type.” I wonder if the romantic comedy “It” featuring silent

The theater was renamed The Los Gatos in the 1940s, and the iconic “knife blade” neon sign was added soon thereafter. It was converted into a twin theater in the 1980s, badly damaged in the Loma Prieta earth quake, and didn’t reopen until 1993. The building was purchased by the Goetz family in 2012 and was com pletely rebuilt from the ground up as a replica of a classic Art Deco movie palace. According to the family, mul tiple layers of discarded tin cans were uncovered during excavation. Before routine trash collection, the cannery just buried everything on site.

The Goetz family generously do nated the property to the town in 2021, and the theater will now be operated by CineLux. We're fortunate to have this majestic new landmark to grace our downtown historic district.

Content and photos from “Discover LOST Gatos” historical walking tours by Alan Feinberg, Peggy Conaway-Bergtold and Sandy Decker. Download the free mobile app from the Apple App Store or Google Play.

Alan Feinberg, Contributor

VIEW FROM THE PAST The Premier Theater, shown here in 1935, operated under a pay-what-you-can basis during the Great Depression.

Discover LOST Gatos

CALENDAR

HOLIDAY TREE LIGHTING

The Annual Los Gatos Holiday Tree Lighting is scheduled for Dec. 2 at Pla za Park beginning at 5pm.

➝ losgatosca.gov/2510/Tree-Lighting.

CHRISTMAS/HOLIDAYS

PARADE

Los Gatos Lions, LGS Recreation and Los Gatos High School present the 66th Annual Los Gatos Children's Christmas/Holidays Parade on Dec. 3 at 11am in downtown.

➝ lgsrecreation.org/parade.

FANTASY OF LIGHTS

Fantasy of Lights Walk-thru and Drive-thru tickets are on sale now. Fantasy Walk-thru runs Dec. 3-4 at Vasona Lake County Park. The Drive-thru runs nightly Dec. 6-30 (closed Christmas Day).

➝ parks.sccgov.org/fantasylights-2022.

TIERRA FIRMA ART EXHIBIT

New Museum Los Gatos presents “Terra Firma,” an art exhibition about our relationship to the land, on view through March 19. “Terra Firma,” a group show organized by guest cu rator Marianne K. McGrath, brings together work by 15 artists, working in diverse media including drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, installation and sound.

➝ numulosgatos.org.

LIVE JAZZ MUSIC

Live jazz performances at the Tast ing House, 368 Village Lane, take place Fridays and Saturdays from 6-9pm, and Sundays from 11am-2pm.

ENTERTAINMENT AT GARDINO’S

Gardino’s, 51 N. Santa Cruz Ave., features entertainment four days a week.

➝ bit.ly/3OSvPHS.

ONGOING

Los Gatos Farmers Market

The Los Gatos Certified Farmers’ Market offers seasonal fruits and veg etables from Santa Clara County yearround. More than 40 local farmers and food producers sell their wares Sundays from 9am to 1pm at Town Park Plaza on Main Street and N. San ta Cruz Avenue. ➝ cafarmersmkts.com/losgatosfarmers-market.

Campbell Farmers Market

The Downtown Campbell Farmers Market is held Sundays, rain or shine, from 9am to 1pm. ➝ uvfm.org/campbell-sundays.

The Kiwanis Club of Los Gatos

The club meets the first three Thurs days of the month at noon at Double D's, 354 N. Santa Cruz Ave. First two Thursdays of the month feature guest speakers. ➝ lgkiwanisgives.org.

Rotary Club of Los Gatos

The Rotary Club of Los Gatos meets Tuesdays from noon to 1:30pm at Shir Hadash Synagogue, 20 Cherry Blos som Lane. ➝ losgatosrotary.org.

The Los Gatos Morning Rotary Club

The Club meets every Wednesday morning 7:30-8:30am at Los Gatos Lodge, 50 Los Gatos-Saratoga Road. Program includes featured guest speakers.

Los Gatos Lions Club

The Los Gatos Lions Club meets ev ery Wednesday. A breakfast meeting is held at Moore Buick, 15500 Los Gatos Blvd., at 8am and a noon meeting at Los Gatos Lodge, 50 Los Gatos-Sara toga Road, with a guest speaker. The club has been active since 1946.

PUBLIC MEETINGS

Town Council

The Los Gatos Town Council meets virtually on the first and third Tuesday of the month at 7pm. ➝ losgatosca.gov/16/Town-Council.

REAL ESTATE

HOME OF THE WEEK

CLOSE TO LOCAL AMENITIES

This Los Gatos home is close to downtown, the creek trail and parks.

Located at 100 Boyer Lane, the 1,298-square-foot home includes three bedrooms and three bathrooms. The home features a spacious front porch, which opens to an interior that has fresh paint and crown molding. A home office is located just off the foyer. Upstairs, there are three bedrooms

including the primary suite. Laundry area offers additional storage. The rear yard has a composite deck and mature perimeter trees and shrubbery that add privacy.

The home, built in 2001, is listed at $1,798,000 by Golden Gate Sotheby's International Realty. For information, visit bit.ly/3Dr3T9W.

Golden Gate Sotheby's International Realty

BOYER LANE This Los Gatos home features a front porch.

Golden Gate Sotheby's International Realty

INSIDE The interior recently got a new coat of paint.

SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM IN LOS GATOS

The team that launched the original Los Gatos Weekly has come together once again to give the town the quality of journalism it needs.

News about local people, school sports and vital community issues will fill the pages of thislocal publication –and a live web site.

Los Gatos deserves real reporting.

lgsubs.com

To advertise call

Serenity Polizzi 408.200.1323 Eric Bocanegra 408.200.1309

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losgatan.com : november 16-22, 2022