Los Gatan 11-23-2022

LOS GATOS ADOPTS OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS FOR MULTIFAMILY HOMES

Council majority says they may not be perfect, but will do, for now

Drew Penner, Reporter

Town Council agreed on a set of design rules that will govern multi-family homebuilding in the community, during its Nov. 15 meeting.

The so-called “objective standards” may not be exactly to the liking of every Council member, but at least having them in place will protect the community, for now, against developers securing approval for something hideous, three elected officials said.

“We can consider it the first iteration of this, but we have something we can move for ward with right now,” said Vice Mayor Maria Ristow, point ing to the large workload staff would have to get through be fore improving the guidelines further. “I don’t want to sit here and wait another six months or a year.”

Objective standards allow developers to quickly move for ward with projects, as long as they achieve a minimum quality of design, as outlined by municipal rules.

Applicable multi-family and mixed-use projects are gov

FESTIVE FLAIR

3. For more, turn to page 12.

WATER POLO TEAM CAPS HISTORIC SEASON IN NORCALS

Lily van Putten epitomizes team’s toughness

Los Gatos High girls water polo coach Don Appleton acknowl edged there was a bit of a hangover with the team after it suffered a crushing 15-2 loss to a powerful Soquel High squad in the Central Coast Section Open Division play off semifinals on Nov. 9.

And the Wildcats certainly played as if they were off their game in the first half of their CIF NorCal tournament playoff open er against Granite Bay on Nov. 15. ➝ Water polo, 11

Emanuel Lee, Sports Editor

Fantasy of Lights, a Vasona Lake County Park tradition, returns Dec.

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CONGREGATIONS COME TOGETHER FOR INTERFAITH THANKSGIVING SERVICE

Believers find common ground, support Recovery Café

Drew Penner, Reporter

They may not have packed a room the way they did in pre-Covid-19 times—when around 1,000 people turned up for the community’s Annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service—but the around 125-strong in-person crowd was augmented by additional attend ees participating remotely.

Jeffrey Hall, the senior pastor at Los Gatos' United Methodist Church, which hosted, said the Nov. 17 event gave people of different faiths an op portunity to come together to express gratitude under one umbrella.

“We all have something we can be thankful for, something we can be grateful for,” he said. “And so, regard less of what denomination—or even what faith tradition you come from— we can find common ground.”

The service was organized by the Los Gatos Interfaith Clergy Association.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Lat ter-day Saints, Congregation Shir Ha dash, Jewish Silicon Valley, West Valley Muslim Association, The Presbyterian Church of Los Gatos, St. Luke’s Epis copal Church, St. Mary of the Immac ulate Conception, Unitarian Universal ist Fellowship and Skyland Community

Church UCC (United Church of Christ) and The Terraces of Los Gatos also took part.

Joyce Rhodes played several numbers on the pipe organ and Mark Eastland drummed on a hand pan to help welcome people into the 111 Church St. building.

David Herberg directed the Chancel Choir & Guest Singers.

Rev. Ricardo Avila of St. Luke’s Epis copal Church led a call to worship, before the opening prayer by Sharon Aeria of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception.

Lubna Shaikh of the West Valley Muslim Association and Rabbi Hugh Seid-Valencia of Jewish Silicon Valley led prayers.

Kathy Cordova, the executive direc tor of the Recovery Café, highlighted the work of her San Jose organization, which provides a community for people dealing with addiction, homelessness and mental health challenges.

A man named Humberto Arriago spoke about the positive trajectory his life had taken through his interactions with Recovery Café.

Hall said he’s glad they could help support an organization doing such amazing work.

“Really, what’s beautiful is we’re coming together to do something good in the community,” he said of the signif icance of the service. “We don’t just do it for ourselves.”

There was more singing from the Chancel Choir before Rev. Jack Long ley, of the Presbyterian Church of Los Gatos, read from Psalm 100.

“Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture,” he said. “Enter his gates with thanks giving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name.”

In his message, Mormon Bishop Jeff Cole spoke about moving through life with an “attitude of gratitude,” before Rev. Cindy McCalmont of The Terraces of Los Gatos gave the introduction to the offertory, which featured the An drea Ramsey song “We Are Blessed.”

Rabbi Nico Socolovsky, of Congre gation Shir Hadash, in his Prayer of Thanksgiving shared how, to him, spir ituality is about living with attention.

“I am aware of the interconnected ness of all things,” he said. “All cannot be without each. And each cannot be without every.”

Cantor Devorah Felder-Levy and the Shir Hadash Choir belted out “Modim Anachnu Lach” by Rachelle Nelson.

Hall bookended the service with closing remarks, and Rev. Melanie Weiner of Skyland Community Church UCC delivered the Benediction.

Everything went smoothly, Hall remarked afterwards, as attendees milled about the bountiful spread of cheese, crackers, snickerdoodles and caramel brittle, in quite the display of fellowship.

“It was just great from start to finish,” he said. “I think what I’ll take away from it is that, this is something we’re doing again.”

Dan

QUARTET The Annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service messages were interspersed with plenty of musical numbers on Nov. 17.

MUSICAL NUMBERS David Herberg directed the Chancel Choir & Guest Singers, who offered multiple songs throughout the event.

Photos by Drew Penner/Los Gatan

As we look back on 2022, I am grateful I am able to serve my wonderful clients and community and wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving holiday.

HERE’S WHAT MY CLIENTS HAVE TO SAY… 11/04/2022

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“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”

- JOHN F. KENNEDY

HATE CRIME INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY AT SARATOGA SCHOOLS

Bay City News

Recent discoveries of three dark-complexion dolls hanging from nooses at schools in Saratoga are being investigated as hate crimes, authori ties said Nov. 16.

The dolls were found at Redwood Middle School, Saratoga High School and Prospect High School, according to Saratoga Union School District Su perintendent Ken Geisick.

“This is a horrific incident,” Geisick said on the district's website. “We can

not state strongly enough that a noose is a reprehensible symbol of hate and violence and will not be tolerated in our district.”

Geisick and school officials are asking parents to talk with their children to see if they know anything about the dolls.

Redwood Middle School encour aged students to wear orange on Nov. 18 to show support for “United Against Hate Week,” Geisick said.

The South Bay district encompasses parts of Saratoga, Monte Sereno and Los Gatos and serves about 1,650 students.

COUNCIL SPLIT ON DECISION

Design, from page 1

erned by State laws such as SB 167 (Housing Accountability Act), SB 35 (Streamlined Affordable Housing) and SB 330 (Housing Crisis Act), instead of following the traditional municipal-review process.

This prevents local governments from reducing density, mandates project ap proval and prohibits subjective stan dards from creeping in.

Speaking during public comment pe riod, Louis Liss, the associate director of real estate development at Eden Hous ing, said some of the choices Los Gatos was considering could make building affordable housing difficult.

The nonprofit is one of the develop ers that sued Los Gatos in order to win approval for the North 40 mixed-use plan—a project that loomed large in the minds of elected officials that evening.

Liss requested private recreational space requirements be lessened, and for developers to be allowed to construct simpler roofs and construct fewer ame nities in affordable units, since they can drive up building costs.

“Additional features may bring long term maintenance concerns, as well,” he said. “Minding our costs is very import ant in today’s economic environment, especially as our key funders continue to emphasize cost control when they’re deciding on projects to fund.”

Councilmember Marico Sayoc asked how much of an open space reduction Liss would like to see. He said they’d like to not have to put in any recreation

space—such as balconies—in private ar eas of upper floors, although he said he’d be OK with the reduction to 60 square feet Planning Commission had support ed for ground floors.

Ristow said, while she supports inclu sionary housing, she wants to balance that with building homes those residents can be proud of.

“It doesn’t scream out that it doesn’t fit in,” she said, of the type of low-income units she’d like to see go up.

Councilmember Matthew Hudes asked staff if SB9 lot-split projects had been considered when Los Gatos was designing the objective standards.

Los Gatos Senior Planner Sean Mullin said SB9 units weren’t contem plated as part of the rule-making.

Sayoc asked about which type of granny flats would fall under the ob jective standard system.

Whelan said smaller “junior” ac cessory dwelling units are considered part of the existing house, while a standard ADU would be governed by objective standards.

Sayoc wondered about the best way to break up “massing,” given a pro posed six-unit maximum for town or rowhouses.

Tom Ford, principal at Berkeley-based M-GROUP, said there could be other ways of managing size on a development, rather than using a unit figure.

Sayoc also brought up the issue of bike parking.

“The original intent was to incorpo

The first report was made after a staff member discovered a small doll with a dark complexion in a noose hanging from a tree in the Redwood Middle School quad area on Nov. 15. School officials believe it happened over the weekend but wasn't noticed until Nov. 15.

The sheriff's office was informed and subsequently found similar inci dents reported at Saratoga and Pros pect high schools.

“The sheriff's office takes these cas es seriously, with utmost urgency, and

are investigating these heinous acts as hate crimes,” according to a sheriff's statement.

Anyone with information about who may have purchased dark com plexion dolls in the recent past is asked to contact Detective Sgt. Ramon Marquez at 408.808.4559, or by email at ramon.marquez@shf.sccgov.org. Alternatively, anyone can contact the Sheriff's Office Investigative Services anonymous tip line at 408.808.4431.

Copyright © 2022 Bay City News, Inc.

rate bike parking into the standards,” she said. “I just didn’t want a large cluster of bike racks out front.”

Ford said the draft bike-parking standard was added after the Plan ning Commission put this forward as a priority.

Sayoc asked Liss how much less private open space he’d like for an affordable developer to have to put in. He replied reducing the amount for upper floors from 120 square feet to 60 square feet would do the trick.

Ristow asked staff how this rule would affect potential projects.

Director Joel Paulson said devel opers could always build something outside the guidelines, but then they’d have to go through the Town’s regular process—which is more expensive.

Pointing to standards emerging in places like Santa Barbara, Hudes ar gued Los Gatos needed to do more work to specify which architectural styles fit in with local neighborhoods.

“I am supportive of the changes that have been suggested so far, but I think this is a good beginning and it’s in complete—and I think it actually puts us in the worst of both worlds,” he said. “If an application comes in and meets those, that’s it.”

Ristow said, based on her time in white stucco-and-tiled-roof-filled Santa Barbara, she believes following their template might not make the most sense for Los Gatos’ housing-de sign decisions.

“I just think we’re going to go right down a rabbit hole,” she said, referring to the amount of staff time involved in beefing up architectural rules, which would allow developers to gain ap

proval for incompatible designs in the meantime. “If we stop tonight and don’t do anything, we’re leaving our selves (open to) the lowest common denominator.”

And Ristow noted she’d prefer to see higher-quality bike parking mandated, even if this results in fewer spaces for cyclists overall.

She suggested Los Gatos follow Valley Transportation Authority’s recommen dations for Class 1 bike slots.

Mayor Rob Rennie said he feels bigger developments should be directed toward areas that already have plenty of large infrastructure, while three-story devel opments wouldn’t be compatible with single-family neighborhoods.

He said he thinks the draft require ments do go a long way toward ensuring that will happen.

And he said he was concerned Los Gatos would lose a six-figure grant it got to devel op objective standards if it delays approval.

“It is better than what we have,” he said of the draft standards. “I am for moving ahead.”

Sayoc made the motion to approve the objective standards: She removed the six-unit rowhouse maximum, under the understanding other rules in the document would achieve the same ends; put in the VTA bike-parking guidelines; and went with the private recreation space rules suggested by Planning Com mission (60 square feet for upper floors, down from 120 square feet—but not to zero as advocated for by the Eden Hous ing rep).

Mary Badame joined Hudes in op posing the objective standards, making this another 3-2 vote on the future of Los Gatos’ residential landscape.

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POLICE BLOTTER

NOV. 13

• A vehicle reportedly “did a burn out” in a parking lot on Blossom Hill Road at 6:47am.

• Mail was reported stolen from a mailbox on Bersano Lane.

• A caller reported a business was playing amplified music outside on Los Gatos-Saratoga Road at 6:56pm.

NOV. 14

• Video surveillance captured a suspect stealing a catalytic con verter from a vehicle parked on Oka Road.

• A caller reported a person on a dirt bike was “making a lot of noise” on Greenridge Terrace at 4:37pm.

• A man and a woman were arrest ed for being in possession of un

lawful paraphernalia on the 400 block of N. Santa Cruz Avenue at 11:32pm.

NOV. 15

• A business was burglarized on Los Gatos Boulevard.

• A vehicle, which reportedly had its keys left inside, was stolen on Oka Road.

NOV. 16

• A man was reportedly walking in a park on S. Santa Cruz Ave nue holding a machete in the air at 1:13pm.

• A man drinking beer in front of a store on N. Santa Cruz Ave nue reportedly refused to leave at 4:13pm.

FLU, COVID, RSV TRANSMISSION INCREASING ACROSS STATE

Transmission of the flu, Covid-19 and respiratory syncytial virus is in creasing statewide simultaneously and could lead to overwhelmed hos pitals this winter, one of the state's top health officials said Nov. 17.

Covid test positivity and case rates have climbed by roughly 25% over the last two weeks along with evidence of increased transmission in the state's wastewater systems, according to state Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly.

Cases of flu and RSV, which causes infections in the respiratory tract, have also increased sharply in recent weeks and have already led to in creased hospital populations across the state.

“In every category that we track, whether it’s test positivity, case rate numbers, wastewater surveillance, clinical surveillance, hospitalizations, we're seeing increases for RSV, flu and Covid,” Ghaly said.

The state has also already seen levels of RSV among young children that rival previous years’ peaks, which usually occur in late January, Febru ary and March.

While most children infected with RSV will only deal with common cold symptoms like a fever, cough and runny nose, young children are at greater risk because their respi ratory and immune systems are still developing.

“Certainly, if that’s all it were, we'd be a lot less concerned,” he said of the

NOV. 17

• A vehicle was burglarized on Cas tlewood Drive.

• A man was arrested for trespass ing on Los Gatos Boulevard at 12:19pm.

• A generator was stolen on Garden Hill Drive.

NOV. 18

• A vehicle was stolen on Union Avenue.

• A man wrapped in a sleeping bag was reportedly sleeping on the hood of a vehicle on S. Santa Cruz Avenue at 7:23am.

• A business was burglarized on Los Gatos-Saratoga Road.

• Two men, described as having “slicked back hair and missing teeth,” were reportedly trying to

sell home improvement items at a residence on Lilac Way at 3:59pm.

NOV. 19

• A man was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol on Winchester Boulevard and Knowles Drive at 2:13am.

• Packages were stolen on Highland Terrace.

• A man was arrested for disorderly conduct on the 200 block of N. Santa Cruz Avenue at 7:43pm.

• A woman was arrested for inflict ing injury on a cohabitant on the 100 block of Creekside Village Drive at 8:48pm.

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

common cold symptoms. “But for infants and young toddlers in par ticular, RSV can cause a much worse experience.”

There is not currently a vaccine that prevents infection of RSV of serious illness, but Ghaly urged state residents to get a flu vaccine and a Covid booster vaccine, if eligible.

As of Nov. 3, just 13.3% of state residents have received an updated Covid booster, which targets two subvariants of the omicron variant as well as the original strain of the virus.

The booster is currently available to everyone ages 5 and up who re

ceived their last vaccine dose at least five months prior.

Ghaly also noted that it is not too late to get a flu or Covid vaccine and that it will still protect those who have yet to get either shot ahead of the winter holidays.

“We can’t always prevent you from getting an infection, but we do have some tools that can make it more like ly that you don't have severe disease,” Ghaly said. “And that severe disease is exactly what leads you to be hospital ized and ... even lose your life.”

Eli Walsh, Bay City News

We can’t always prevent you from getting an infection, but we do have some tools that can make it more likely that you don't have severe disease.

Dr. Mark Ghaly

SPORTS

LOS GATOS FIELD HOCKEY TO RELOAD FOR 2023

Wildcats fall in CCS playoff semifinals

Emanuel Lee, Sports Editor

Henry Reyes has coached the Los Gatos High field hockey program to 17 Central Coast Section championships and five runner-up finishes, over a 32year run that started in the early 1990s.

The Wildcats are the winningest pro gram and gold standard in the section, having built such a high standard that it’s shocking when they lose in the semifinal round. That’s exactly what happened this season in a 1-0 loss to Christopher High on Nov. 9 at Valley Christian.

Despite coming up short of the final, Reyes didn’t seem too fazed af terward. After all, he knows he’ll have another talented team next year that could be the odds-on favorite to win the championship.

“With the exception of Jiwoo (Hong), Abby (Lo) and Sam (Elliott), we’re returning a lot of kids so I’m not going anywhere,” Reyes said, smiling. “I’m not rebuilding, I’m reloading.”

No truer words have ever been spoken as the Los Gatos juggernaut— which finished 14-3-1 overall and 121-1 in league—had its chances to ad vance to the CCS final. The Wildcats had the superior possession time and a dominant 11-4 advantage in short corners, but for just the second time all season, they couldn’t put one in the cage.

The aforementioned senior starting trio of Elliott, Hong and Lo definitely had their moments and made strong runs with the ball with Elliott in particular unleashing hard shots on goal. But several Los Gatos shots went agonizingly just wide of the cage and Christopher’s goal with 3 minutes, 8 seconds remaining held up.

Despite the loss, Los Gatos had no reason to hang its head. It won the ultra-competitive Santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza Division outright, edging CCS semifinalist St. Francis and CCS champion Mitty in the process.

“It was a good year,” Reyes said. “These kids are coming off a season

in which they won a divisional (title). They fought, they stayed consistent and they played as good as they could.”

Against Christopher, Los Gatos had a massive time of possession advantage in the third quarter that continued into the fourth. However, Christopher came on strong near the end and scored off a rocket shot from Katie Garrison.

“The possession time was good for our girls tonight, but you make one little mistake and the game definitely makes you pay for it, so it was hard,” Reyes said. “It never feels fun but in the collective of the whole thing,

there’s no way to think you can win every single one. My hat’s off to Chris topher. They played good and they waited, waited and waited until they had their opportunity and then they took it and made it pay off. And that’s what the game is all about.”

Reyes said he’ll remember this year’s senior group because they’re all special in their own way. He’s also salivating at the fact that he’ll have a slew of talent returning for 2023, including Macy Dennon, Teagan Fo gerty, Aanya Gupta, Keira Lin, Alexa Musser, Ellie White, Caitlin Okonk wo and Claire Torres.

And that’s not even the exhaustive list of projected returners. Reyes said there were also several players who didn’t receive much playing time but have the potential to be difference-makers next season, a tes tament to the talent-rich depth of a program that routinely has a roster of 70-plus players every year.

“It’s just endless,” Reyes said. “The kids who didn’t get as much time to play in games this year, they played against the starters in practice so they’ll be ready. Give us another 10 months and we’ll see how it looks like.”

ON THE ATTACK Wildcats senior Abby Lo makes a run toward the Christopher goal in their Central Coast Section tournament playoff semifinal on Nov. 9 at Valley Christian High in San Jose.

Jonathan Natividad

MANY PLAYERS ENJOY BREAKOUT SEASON

Water polo, from page 1

“After coming off that loss to Soquel, the girls were pretty down,” Appleton said. “It’s kind of hard to get refocused after getting up for a big game. We were hoping to give Soquel a better run and then being pretty bummed out about that. I had to take a little time off but then we had to get back to trying to get everyone refocused, get over the loss and game plan for Granite Bay.”

It took a while for the No. 3 seed Wildcats (27-3) to get in sync, but once they did, they pulled away for a 10-5 win to mark another milestone for the program: a win in the CIF NorCal Re gional playoffs. Even though the Wild cats’ season ended two days later in a 9-5 defeat to No. 2 seed Arroyo Grande in the Division II semifinals, they had plenty to be proud of this season.

That included an undefeated Santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza Division season going 17-0 through the regular-season and league play offs and the program’s first-ever win in the CCS Open Division.

“Going to (NorCal) semis is a pretty

big thing for our program,” Appleton said. “I think between the kids we’ve got returning and the strong JV team we had this year, this is a place where this is going to be the goal every year. Hopefully in the coming years we can make it to that D1 (field) for NorCals which would be sweet.”

Against Granite Bay, Karly Frangieh scored a game-high four goals, Karissa Elliott had two and Rachel Stephens had 16 saves as Los Gatos outscored Granite Bay 4-0 in the fourth quarter to win going away. Stephens allowed two goals beyond six meters; however, the junior more than made up for it with some spectacular saves on shots that would normally score.

Stephens’ best sequence came with just under a minute remaining when she blocked a shot from long range. The ball was loose, there were a lot of bodies around the cage and Stephens ended up being submerged for a second.

A Granite Bay player pounced on the rebound and looked like she was going to score, but Stephens rose out of the water and made an incredible save.

“Rachel played really well,” Appleton said. “There's nobody who is harder on

Rachel than herself. I think she had one in the first quarter that she probably wanted back, and seeing where she is now being able to bounce back after a hard beat has been big. Her getting ac customed to having that short memory that you let a bad one go, it doesn’t mat ter, that one’s over, let’s move forward and see what’s coming next. And she made the adjustment well.”

Frangieh had a breakout season, highlighted by her ability to get be hind the defense with her speed but also developing in other areas of the game as well. She’s projected to be the top returner on a 2023 team that should be brimming with talent.

The Wildcats graduate two senior starters in Maily Isaacs and Lily van Putten, and few players in the area made as dramatic improvement as van Putten did from her junior year in which she was more of a complemen tary starter to her senior season where at times she was a dominant force.

Van Putten had three assists, three steals and drew four exclusions against Granite Bay. In one of the team’s best games this season, van Putten scored four goals, drew five exclusions and had five

steals in an 11-7 win over Menlo School in the CCS Open Division quarterfinal.

“We were all just super ecstatic af ter that game,” van Putten said. “The team played great and that was one of the best games I’ve ever played in my career, so it was really rewarding and I felt fulfilled after that game.”

Van Putten credited Appleton for helping her development since she start ed playing the game and putting together a plan so the team went into every prac tice and match poised to perform.

“We go into each practice with a good mindset and a really knowledgeable coach that gets us here and gets it done,” she said. “We went into each game very prepared, worked super hard and fo cused on what plays to run, what defense to run, and that showed who we are.”

Van Putten said she was determined to not let her emotions get the best of her as she battled opponents for posi tion in the pool. That’s the big reason why she was able to draw three to four exclusions every match.

Van Putten credited her last off-sea son training through 6-8 Water Polo Development Academy and NorCal Aquatics as key to her tremendous senior season. Last March, van Putten attended her first 6-8 showcase in Utah, which got her invited to another showcase event in Long Beach in April.

Her performance and the connections van Putten made led to a trip in Italy to train with five-time Olympian Tony Azevedo, which was followed by a train ing trip to Croatia with another former Olympic standout in Maggie Steffens.

“In terms of the travel trips (over seas), that’s where my physical abili ties really improved,” van Putten said. “In Italy, I played against really high level girl players. The calls and rules are a little different, so adjusting to that really spiked my improvement in physical play. And on the Croatia trip, we played men’s teams. The boys, there is no suit for us to grab.

“They’re larger, faster and harder to play against so you really have to change the way you think about things like positioning and changing strategy in the pool. So that really upped my play because I had to think about the game and my play differently. Overall, I improved mentally and physically, and both are super important.”

Van Putten expressed an intense de sire to play in college, but said if a great offer doesn’t materialize, she’s ready to hang up her cap. Whatever happens, van Putten can be at peace knowing she did all she could to improve her game.

ON TARGET Los Gatos High senior Lily van Putten looks to shoot during their CIF NorCal Regional Division II playoff quarterfinal match against Granite Bay on Nov. 15. The Wildcats won, 10-5.

LOCAL SCENE

FANTASY OF LIGHTS TICKETS

NOW ON SALE

Fantasy of Lights is set to open Dec. 3-4 for the Walk-thru event and Dec. 6-30 (closed Dec. 25) for the Drive-thru event at Vasona Lake County Park in Los Gatos.

The Drive-thru allows guests to drive by large animated displays while listen ing to holiday music on their car radio. Light displays include an erupting volca no in the Dinosaur Den, Santa shooting hoops, a pen of penguins, pirate cannons and a tunnel of moving lights. Fantasy of Lights features 50 themed displays and a 90-foot twinkling tree.

Tickets can be purchased by the day and time of entrance (30-minute win dows between 6pm-9:30pm). Tickets must be purchased in advance. No tick ets will be sold at the park entrance.

Drive-thru tickets are $20 per vehicle (up to 12 people) and $50 for oversize vehicles (capacity 13-plus). Processing fees are additional.

Vasona Lake County Park is located at 333 Blossom Hill Road.

➝ parks.sccgov.org/fantasylights-2022.

WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN

UPDATE MEETING SET

The Santa Clara County FireSafe Council is leading a project to update Santa Clara County’s Community Wild fire Protection Plan (CWPP).

The project will be supported by part ners including Cal Fire, Santa Clara County Fire, County of Santa Clara Of fice of Emergency Management, County of Santa Clara Department of Planning and Development and others.

The project scope includes all of Santa Clara County with its primary focus on the Wildland Urban Interface areas throughout the county.

CWPPs are a critical element for county wildfire preparedness. This stra tegic plan allows local agencies to pri oritize forest health projects, shaded fuel breaks, escape routes and public education campaigns. The CWPP will further wildfire preparedness initiatives throughout the county and provide sup port for residents seeking resources to be better prepared for wildfire.

Five public meetings have been sched uled for community members to learn

more about the CWPP, meet with local wildfire experts, ask questions and pro vide their input.

The meeting for District 5, which en compasses Los Gatos, is scheduled for Dec. 1 from 6–7:30pm at the Saratoga Community Center, 19655 Allendale Ave. ➝ sccfiresafe.org/cwpp.

SUPERVISORS PUSH TO IMPROVE EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS FOR LOMA PRIETA COMMUNITY

The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted on Nov. 15 to direct County Administration, County Counsel and the Office of Emergency Manage ment to explore options for improving emergency services in the Loma Prieta area of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

County Supervisor Joe Simitian proposed options including updating emergency response plans, improving communication with residents, and en suring that County services are prop erly equipped to provide prompt and comprehensive emergency services, including outfitting a new Sheriff’s Of

fice substation with a generator suitable for providing extended power under emergency circumstances. His proposal was co-authored by outgoing Supervisor Mike Wasserman.

“Folks in the Loma Prieta community are resilient; they’re self-reliant. They know how to take care of themselves. But wildfires and disasters in California are getting worse,” said Simitian, who now represents the Loma Prieta area and sponsored the request. “So, I’ve been visiting, listening, and learning—a lot. And folks in the community have expressed a clear interest in working more closely with our County to upgrade emergency systems and planning.”

During emergencies which often in volve road closures and power outages due to downed power lines and trees, the Loma Prieta community is more difficult for emergency vehicles to access, and do so quickly, according to officials.

In response to these challenges, the County hopes to strengthen connections with local groups such as the Loma Pri eta Community Foundation, Mountain Emergency Response Corps, and Loma Prieta Volunteer Fire & Rescue. The County also hopes to improve communi

cation with residents regarding available services and emergency plans.

In response to the proposal, Erin Asheghian, president of the Loma Prieta Joint Union School District, and Sanjay Khandelwal, a member of the Loma Prieta Community Foundation Board, expressed appreciation to the Board of Supervisors for its support of an emer gency response plan for the Loma Prieta community. The Board’s action, they said in a joint statement, will “ensure that our residents get the services they need and understand how and where those services will be delivered when the next emergency arises.”

As the area straddles both Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties, there are plans in place for both Santa Clara and Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Offices to co-locate in a substation housed in the new Com munity Center on the Loma Prieta Joint Union School District campus. Simitian said he wants to make sure that the center is “properly equipped with a gen erator suitable for providing extended power in the event of an emergency.”

Construction of the Community Cen ter is scheduled to be completed in Sep tember 2023.

LIGHTS AT DUSK Fantasy of Lights offers walk-thru and drive-thru options at Vasona Lake County Park.

identity + strategy + design

CHRISTMAS TREE’S ROOTS

It is always fun to learn more about the early years in Los Gatos. I bet many people don't know how the official Los Gatos Christmas Tree came to be!

You have probably passed by the plaque near the base of the tree many times. It reads: “Community Christmas Tree, Gift of the History Club of Los Gatos 1923.”

The History Club was formed in 1897 by a group of six community-minded women. The Town of Los Gatos asked them every year to put up a Christmas tree in Plaza Park. They budgeted $15 ev ery year to purchase and decorate a tree. In 1923, the group decided to plant a permanent tree. Some of the early mem bers were friends with Luther Burbank, so we assume he helped them choose the beautiful Cedar Deodar you see today!

The History Club is celebrating their 125th anniversary this year! We are lo cated at 123 Los Gatos Blvd. at the corner

of Simons Way. We are always glad to get new members who are interested in local community issues, especially benefiting women and children. For in formation, visit historyclublosgatos.org.

Therese Wiese History Club of Los Gatos

Going beyond the surface

What a very well written compas sionate article (“Sahr’s passages,” Los Gatan, Nov. 2-8).

We judge the homeless and others less fortunate than ourselves way too quickly. Drew is able to go below the surface and shed light onto someone who appears to be misunderstood. Excellent insight.

Dinah Cotton

One piece of the town’s mental health picture

Jeffrey P. Blum, Contributor

The report of the Community Health and Senior Services Commis sion (CHSSC), explaining the scope and quality of mental health and substance abuse treatment services in our community, is nearly completed. The report follows consultations by CHSSC commissioners with numer ous experts, community leaders, and service providers in the West Valley. This report, which will be presented to the town council early next year, will hopefully aid the council in deter mining the direction our town takes to improve mental health and substance abuse treatment in our community.

What is not intended by this report, however, is a community wide assess ment of how we view mental illness. If we are to improve as a tolerant com munity, I wonder whether destigma tizing mental health issues should be further emphasized and given a place of greater prominence alongside or within our town’s goals of improving diversity, equity and inclusion.

Having heard calls for a need to destigmatize mental health issues, I decided to explore the mental health issue further. Reading Rachel Aviv’s new book, “Stranger to Ourselves,” was one step I have taken in this direction.

Ms. Aviv explains that the causes of mental health are often difficult to determine. Mental health issues may not rise to the level of being a mental illness, and as I learned from reading Ms. Aviv’s book, people who are labeled as mentally ill, often are misdiagnosed because the economic or political circumstances leading to their state of mind are not adequately considered, or are altogether over looked.

Ms. Aviv tells a story about Naomi, an African American woman who grew up in poverty and was frequently homeless. In Naomi’s mind she was overwhelmed by the horrible eco nomic circumstances and racism she had to deal with. Those factors, and not some brain disease, drove her to

the extreme behavior she engaged in, which included jumping off a bridge with a child who drowned as a result. In her mind, she was saving her child from having to face the terrible con ditions she’d had to face in her life. While Naomi believed she suffered from her awful economic and polit ical circumstances, her doctors told her that she was bipolar and treated her accordingly. Ultimately, she found some solace when she was befriended by a prison librarian, who heard and understood why Naomi had become so emotionally distraught.

Recognizing that mental health is sues may result from circumstances other than a brain disease is one way to destigmatize mental health. I am learning, however, that there are many other ways to accomplish this goal in cluding educating ourselves and oth ers about mental health, allowing for more open discussions about mental health, treating mental illness on par with physical illness, being conscious of the language we use in discussing mental health issues, and avoiding identifying the person with their con dition, and instead viewing their con dition as one piece of the person’s life. Moreover, I now recognize even more, the importance of reacting when oth ers, including the media, stigmatize mental illness.

I’ve learned a considerable amount while investigating mental health and substance abuse treatment options available in our town and in other communities due to my work as a commissioner on the CHSSC. The journey has been an uneasy one since my life work and prior volunteer en deavors have been in other arenas. However, the opportunity to look at the issue as an outsider has perhaps helped me see how readily destig matizing mental health issues more emphatically, aligns with our town’s stated goal of being an inclusive, di verse and equitable community.

Jeffrey P. Blum is a family law mediator who lives in Los Gatos.

CHRISTMAS TREE The Cedar Deodar in the Plaza Park was planted in 1923.

CALENDAR

RUN TURKEY RUN

Grab your friends and family, and register for “Run Turkey Run Left overs,” Almaden's 5K/10K Fun Run on Nov. 26, supporting Bret Harte Middle School athletics: racewire. com/register.php?id=13151

GIRLS NIGHT OUT

The Los Gatos Chamber of Com merce will present a night of holiday shopping and dining downtown on Dec. 1. All the stores will stay open until 7:30pm and offer a discount or special deal. Restaurants are of fering specials as well, and some will host an after-party. There is no cost to register, but the first 75 people to register will receive a swag bag and glass of champagne. All other regis trants receive a glass of champagne and are entered into a drawing for a raffle.

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.

PIANIST PERFORMANCE

Steinway Society – The Bay Area will present Russian-American pi anist Natasha Paremski in concert on Dec. 3 at 7pm at the McAfee Performing Arts and Lecture Center in Saratoga. The program includes selections from the music of Chopin, Adès, Ravel and Balakirev. Paremski won several prestigious prizes at a very young age, including the Gilm ore Young Artists prize in 2006, the Prix Montblanc in 2007, and the Or pheum Stiftung Prize in Switzerland. In September 2010, she received the Classical Recording Foundation’s Young Artist of the Year award. The live concert will also be live-streamed online during the performance and will be viewable for 48 hours follow ing the concert.

➝ steinwaysociety.com.

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.

For information, visit 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. Pro gram 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.

Planning Commission

The Los Gatos Planning Commission meets virtually on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month at 7pm.

➝ losgatosca.gov/189/PlanningCommission.

STEINWAY SOCIETY Natasha Paremski will perform in Saratoga on Dec. 3.

Clarence Chan

REAL ESTATE

HOME OF THE WEEK

RANCH ON THE HILLS

This Los Gatos ranch estate sits on eight acres with panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and hills.

Located at 17210 Fawndale Road, the 3,900-square-foot home, designed by architect Frank Laulainen, includes five bedrooms and four bathrooms. The first level main suite includes dual bathroom areas, a walk-in closet, separate den/study and floor-to-ceil ing windows. The upper level offers

four corner bedrooms, two full baths, a laundry room and wrap-around deck.

The main level family room, kitch en/breakfast and dining rooms all face the pool with three sliding doors.

The property also includes a guest house, tennis court, paddocks and more.

The home, built in 1963, is listed at $3,995,000 by Coldwell Banker Realty. For information, visit bit.ly/3TXuzGl.

FAWNDALE ROAD The main family room looks out to the pool.

Coldwell Banker Realty

INSIDE Floor-to-ceiling windows are a staple of the home.

Coldwell Banker Realty

Coups in journalism

What might prompt a run for Congress?

Arctic jacket

Hairspray brand since the 1950s

Big name in pain relief

Band whose final album, ‘‘Synchronicity,’’ was their most popular, with ‘‘the’’

More in need of practice

24 horas from now

Big name in pain relief

Disembark

Used an unspoken language

One not getting in too deep 29 Chinese zodiac animal

Tiny amount of time: Abbr.

Hella

Game typically played in the dark

Become established 39 Calf site

Common concert merch

Pronoun for Frenchwomen

Like diamonds

It shares a key with ‘‘!’’

It might be stuck on the chopping block

Rise, as a steed might

Politico Cheney

Color-wheel options

Old yellers?

Animal with a prominent proboscis

Trifling, informally 62 Lab-engineered fare, facetiously . . . or a hint to the six crossings of shaded squares 67 Totenberg of NPR

77

Grub

What gorillas have that giraffes lack? 80 Spot for a tattoo 81 Prefix with biology 82 Peter Pan alternative 84 Achieved a flight training milestone 86 Hiking group? 88 Email symbols, informally 91 Target of an annual shot 93 Worker who makes a ton of dough 94 Terse affirmation 95 Producers of multiple outs, for short 96 Like a very heavy sleeper 99 Precisely 102 It’s ‘‘rarely pure and never simple,’’ per Oscar Wilde 103 Bit of hairstyling 106 Mop’s partner, in a brand name

Pipes up

Is delighted by the invitation

Mesopotamian metropolis

Thinks up

It’s hot right now

88

Some skin care ingredients, informally

Relative of a waterspout

92

Sch. for which John Wayne played tackle

Unpopular food that’s rich in minerals

Claw

105-Down, e.g.

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losgatan.com : november 23-29, 2022