Los Gatan 2-22-2023

COUNCIL CENSURES COMMISSIONER OVER ‘WHITE ANTI-HOUSING MEN’ COMMENT

Councilmember questions whether Town followed discipline procedure

Drew Penner, Reporter

After Planning Commissioner Kylie Clark—who works on housing issues for the Silicon Valley nonprofit West Valley Community Services—watched density rules suggested by the Town body she sits on get refined by Council, only to be swept aside entirely by a late-breaking referendum drive funded by wealthy residents, she was dismayed.

So, she took to her keyboard to fire off an email to the California Department of Housing and Community Development.

The words that were sent to the Sacramento agency Nov. 18 set off such a firestorm in the community that a special Council meeting was called on Feb. 15 to deal with the situation.

“I hope this email finds you well!” she began in the email.

“As someone who does housing work in a lot of anti-housing cities, I really appreciate the work you are doing to resolve our state’s housing crisis.”

➝ Council, 6

LGHS WRESTLING CONTINUES TO HIT MILESTONES

Wildcats score program record points in CCS Finals

Emanuel Lee, Sports Editor

Two weeks after breaking the points record in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League Finals, the Los Gatos High wrestling team continued its historic season with a second-place finish in the Central Coast Section Masters Finals Feb. 18 at Watsonville High.

The Wildcats established a program record with 228.5 points in the CCS Finals in finishing as the runner-up to champion Gilroy, which totaled 279 points. They also set a program record for placers (10) and State qualifiers (nine).

Los Gatos did it with a deep lineup that included individual ➝ Wrestling, 11

soccer champs p10 : surgery robot p12 : upcoming events p15 : ny times crossword puzzle p17

PRECOCIOUS Wildcats freshman Antonio Rodriguez sizes up his opponent, Monta Vista’s Hayden Ancheta, during their CCS Masters Final 113-pound title match on Feb. 18. Rodriguez won via decision, 4-0.

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All real estate advertised herein is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based upon race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, familial status or national origin or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. Publisher will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertising are available on an equal opportunity basis.

SURVEILLANCE A Flock

Safety camera, such as the one pictured here, captures the license plate numbers of vehicles that travel past it.

USE OF DIGITAL SURVEILLANCE TECH BY LOS GATOS POLICE QUESTIONED

Town considering signing up for $40K annual license plate reader program

Drew Penner, Reporter

The Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department has promoted its network of the license plate readers it’s set up around town to monitor traffic and alert it to vehicles deemed suspicious, handing out awards to officers who’ve used the cameras to crack cases and highlighting it in Council reports.

But as the end of the two-year trial period nears for the devices from Atlanta-based Flock Safety, some police accountability researchers are questioning whether Los Gatos should re-up with the technology provider, given the privacy intrusions and security risks.

“License plate readers are mass surveillance technology,” said Dave Maass, director of investigations for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a civil liberties nonprofit. “They collect data on everyone.”

A California Public Records Act inquiry filed by the organization found

the local police force is getting cues from 16 agencies about who to track with Flock’s Automated License Plate Recognition system when their vehicle shows up in Los Gatos.

In responding to the public records request, the department said it “does not share data through an automated process” with others.

“LG/MSPD’s fifteen cameras read and capture an image of approximately 450,000 unique license plates per month,” reads the response, which notes the images are deleted after 30 days unless one appears to be connected to a criminal activity.

The network “has proactively sent the department alerts for approximately 300 vehicles associated to crimes in 2022 and there is reason to believe approximately 100 crimes have been solved or specifically prevented in the first 11 months of 2022 as a result of the data generated by the Flock ALPR system.”

But Maass says, in the 30 days leading up to Nov. 9, in order to find just 23 vehicles that might have been involved in a crime, the dragnet had to photograph 458,411 plates.

“If you do the math on that, that means that only .005% of the vehicles were relevant to a crime,” he said. “That’s not even a 10th of a percent.”

In the meantime, the department has the ability to develop a comprehensive—though temporary—map of the lives of innocent local residents, according to Maass, noting this could be subject to a security breach.

“Think about how much you drive in 30 days,” he said. “That can be used to build a pretty detailed picture of your travel patterns.”

Flock’s privacy policy allows it to share the data it stores with government agencies in response to legal requests such as subpoenas or warrants.

In a recent report by the Guardian newspaper, Joshua Thomas, a Flock vice-president, was asked about how the company would handle abortion-related investigations in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision that struck down the constitutional right to the procedure.

“Flock’s mission as a business is to eliminate crime,” he said. “Our position at Flock remains consistent in response to the Dobbs decision. Our perspective is that we do not enact laws, and our mission is not specific to any particular laws.”

Maass says even though the local department claims it doesn’t share

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EMAIL SETS OFF FIRESTORM

Council, from page 1

Clark identified herself as a planning commissioner, but clarified she was writing as a “concerned citizen.” Then, she launched into a critique of the referendum that had rapidly gathered more than 3,000 signatures, last summer, organized by the residents behind the Los Gatos Community Alliance, who vehemently oppose plans to increase density in town.

While the facts she cites in this appeal for help from Sacramento are largely accurate—for example, that the initiative employed paid campaigners, and that the General Plan proposed going slightly above the required number of residential units for the next eight-year Regional Housing Needs Assessment cycle (as it covers just eight years, while the General Plan must last for 20)—the tone definitely set people off.

And at the special meeting, residents made it clear they were none too happy she’d referred to the referendum organizers as “a few rich, white anti-housing men,” that she’d questioned the legality of this instance of California’s direct-democracy and suggested it would mean fewer residential units would be generated because of the worries of “a few upset rich residents.”

At issue was not just that she’d fanned the flames of identity politics surrounding the push to diversify Los Gatos, a South Bay enclave where poor and nonwhite Bay Area residents to this day still sometimes express feeling unwelcome.

The concern was that it appeared, to more than a few, she’d put her thumb on the scale of what many consider the most important issue facing the Town—one she’d already had a crack at in her official capacity—and in so-doing, revealed a bias against others.

Clark’s partner, Councilmember Rob Moore—who was elected on a pro-densification, pro-transit platform—recused himself.

Mayor Maria Ristow kicked the meeting off by remarking on the “unusual” nature of the evening’s agenda.

Town Attorney Gabrielle Whelan reported that complaints against Clark fell into three buckets: allegations she had a conflict of interest; that she’d violated due-process rules; and that she’d used language so divisive it breached the behavior policy she’s supposed to follow.

Whelan said she relied on the Council Code of Conduct to guide her approach.

She ruled out the first two claims,

because it didn’t appear there was a financial motive behind the letter and because the email was about a legislative matter—housing policy—not a dispute needing to be decided by Town officials.

An evaluation committee—which would normally feature the mayor as the Council’s representative—was expanded to include Vice Mayor Mary Badame (a staunch opponent of the policies espoused by Clark and her partner), since Ristow appointed Clark, in January 2022.

Badame asked Whelan if the Town had violated its own Code of Conduct in how it responded to the complaints, as Clark suggested in a letter defending herself.

Whelan said she didn’t recommend hiring outside counsel, because the letter to HCD spoke for itself.

Ristow acknowledged that it had been challenging to figure out how to handle the issue.

“This process unfolded in starts and steps,” she said. “It’s a matter of just being fair. We did work our way through this process.”

The first member of the public to speak on the item, Perice Sibley, introduced herself as a long-time resident of Los Gatos, descended from Daughters of the American Revolution, on one side, with Mexican heritage on the other. She said she was appalled to read Clark’s letter to HCD and called for her removal from the Planning Commission.

She said she read the email as making accusations of racism against people in town, though the letter doesn’t use the r-word specifically.

“White racist?” she stated. “Most of the town is multicultural. And when you call them racist, the person making that comment is racist. And I am so horrifically offended.”

She said she knows of people—including individuals who aren’t white or men—who’ve already decided to put Town business on hold, for fear they won’t get a fair shake due to bias at the Planning Commission.

“They feel like they’re going to get backlash,” she said. “We’re not racist. And it’s horrific for you to allow her to continue and not set an example by removing her.”

Several public commenters took the “few rich white anti-housing men” descriptor as a slur to the wide range of

people who quickly jumped on board the referendum train. In fact, Clark was specifically targeting the members of the Los Gatos Community Alliance, including Jak Van Nada, the moving-company founder who sparred with her partner during the recent election campaign, after Moore boycotted an Alliance-organized candidate forum.

“Prejudice is prejudice and should never be dismissed,” Van Nada said, asserting that the letter to HCD contravened Town values. “What Ms. Clark did was calculated and written with a goal in mind.”

From his perspective, it’s Clark who bent the truth.

“It was not a, quote, ‘few rich white anti-housing men’ that passed the referendum,” he said, noting people of a variety of backgrounds signed because they don’t support the growth agenda she voted to recommend. “The referendum, at its core, is about who gets to decide the future of this town.”

He argued that if Clark doesn’t resign, the Town should remove her.

The mayor had to quiet the audience when a round of applause began in response.

Jason Farwell, whose ancestor, John Lyndon, served as Los Gatos’ mayor from 1888-1892, chastised Clark for fueling divisions in town.

“She did it intentionally,” he said. “I’m not anti-housing. No one in Los Gatos is anti-housing. I’m anti-density—that’s for sure. I don’t want 3,000 new units. Apparently, she wants 12,000. It’s ridiculous.”

The comment highlighted the distinction homeowners in Los Gatos tend to make between standing against Sacramento’s push to fix the state’s dearth of housing—which they say they aren’t trying to do—and the extent to which the Town should have to update its zoning rules to help deliver new units towards that goal.

The Los Gatos Community Alliance came up with the 12,000-unit figure by rejecting the assumptions a Town consultant employed about what housing was likely to spring up, instead completing a rough calculation of the number of homes that could be created if every single parcel were developed to the fullest extent.

Experts have continually poured cold water on the theory this could happen—although, at one point, Town staff did confirm the number accurately represents what they were trying to calculate, however unlikely.

So, when Clark said to the Housing Elements branch of the California hous-

ing ministry, “The anti-housing group is claiming that the town will build 12,000 new units in the next 8 years (haha I wish),” it set off alarm bells among the “slow the growth” crowd.

Jim Zanardi, a 73-year resident, told Council the letter was proof of a double standard among people like Clark, where you can say things against white people you can’t say about Black or Brown people.

“I guess I’m one of those rich white men that she’s speaking about,” he said, adding he’d be publicly crucified if he wrote a letter calling out someone by their background. “I’d be run outta town, because I’d be a racist. What makes her any different? She’s a racist. And I don’t think she needs to be censured. She needs to be gone.”

He suggested local residents could organize a new political campaign of sorts if Los Gatos doesn’t come down on Clark strongly enough.

“Maybe the rich men in this town— the rich white men—need to look at the Council who appointed her,” he said. “And maybe next time, when it’s time for reelection, maybe the rich white men oughta get together and maybe get some people in here that would pick somebody that has a little bit of experience.”

Jim Dunlay, who called himself a “newbie” resident after living in Los Gatos for 27 years, said he’s concerned, since he may have items come before the Planning Commission, in the future.

“I’m not sure, today, that I would get a fair hearing, because I’m a rich white guy and I don’t support high-density housing in neighborhoods as they’re proposed,” he said, reminding Council just how many locals fit into that particular category. “I look in this room; I look around in our town; and I gotta tell you—you’re all rich.”

He compared the local composition to an impoverished community he recently visited in Georgia.

Kylie Clark

“Most of us are white or partly-white,” he said. “And many of us—maybe most—do not wish the State to impose high-density housing requirements on our community. But yet, we rely on you to carry that message forward.”

Supporters of Clark have characterized the strong response to her communication as a witch hunt and say the underlying issues she was getting at are legitimate topics for discussion.

Cory Wolbach, a former Palo Alto councilmember who now works for affordable housing-advocacy group Silicon Valley @ Home, raised questions about whether Los Gatos followed its own discipline policy.

“It does look to me like that process may not have been followed here,” he said, adding he believes Clark offered her input to Sacramento in good faith. “HCD has an obligation to review the context and the dynamics in Los Gatos…It’s not racist to point out structural racism.”

Cyndi Sheehan, a Donald Trump supporter whose activism against the diversity policies of the previous Council— including verbal attacks of a personal nature—led to new State laws governing Council decorum, was asked to leave after being repeatedly warned about disruptive comments she was making.

“Everyone knows you’re all racist,” she shouted on her way out.

Appearing as the final public commenter, Clark said she wrote her email with the best of intentions.

“I never once asked HCD to stop the referendum,” she said. “From what I heard they weren’t aware of the referendum.”

She repeated her contention that Los Gatos failed to live up to its own Code of Conduct in responding to the complaints against her.

“I’m a real person, not somebody to make an example of,” she said. “I promise you I have learned my lesson.”

Badame questioned whether Clark truly was remorseful, as she’d never said sorry to Van Nada.

Though Clark didn’t apologize to any of the Los Gatos Community Alliance members, she did say she regretted how her choice of words offended other residents.

“I should not have mentioned the demographic information like that,” she said. “I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. I really didn’t want to personally attack anyone or come across as racist. I do just have opinions about the power structures that exist.”

Several locals had suggested the extra affirmative action work HCD is forcing Los Gatos to do—per an official January directive—on its Housing

Element, was Clark’s fault.

Both the Town Attorney and the Town Manager said they don’t believe this to be the case.

In fact, the improvement areas called out by the State—such as outlining how it will monitor affordable housing efforts— are in line with the comments other communities received, Whelan said.

And while HCD has asked Los Gatos to give more details in the Housing Element about the referendum, the Town had already given the agency the heads-up it was happening—prior to Clark pressing send on her missive, according to Prevetti.

Over two hours after the meeting began, Councilmember Rob Rennie, appearing via Zoom, finally weighed in. Rennie said he felt like disciplining a commissioner shouldn’t be about scoring points in the housing debate.

“There are some people who are fighting a housing battle—pro or con—who are trying to take advantage of this situation,” he said. “The real issue here was the use of language…I think that the committee got it correct in what they decided.”

Councilmember Matthew Hudes seconded a motion from the mayor to censure Clark and require her to attend coaching about proper commissioner behavior. But he did so reluctantly, he said.

If outside counsel were brought in, a conflict of interest may have been discovered, he suggested, as Clark told him, earlier during the public hearing, she gets paid for housing-related work in the region.

But it would be hard to vote to remove her, since it’s not clear Los Gatos followed its own procedures carefully enough, Hudes said, noting some internal correspondence never made its way to Council.

Badame had been hoping for a motion to oust Clark. But seeing the others moving away from that option, she decided to lend her vote to reprimanding the young planning commissioner unanimously.

She predicted people will start to appeal Planning Commission decisions by claiming bias on Clark’s part.

After the meeting, Clark told the Los Gatan she didn’t feel the censure was necessary. But says she is looking forward to receiving mentorship from the mayor.

“I am really grateful that they are letting me continue on the commission,” she said, promising to be impartial in all future decision-making. “If people are assuming that I have this bias, it’s not like it would have just started existing. So, if you go back and look at my votes on the Planning Commission, it’s evident I don’t have any bias that’s influencing my decisions. I treat everyone with respect.”

BILL WOULD CREATE FREE TUITION FOR WEST VALLEY COLLEGE STUDENTS

Bay City News

Students in the South Bay's West Valley-Mission Community College District would receive free tuition, books, transportation, technology, and other education-related fees under a bill introduced by Sen. Dave Cortese, D-San Jose.

The bill, introduced last week, would allow the West Valley-Mission Community College District to tap its existing local general funds to cover all college-related expenses for the students with the greatest financial need. It would also enable the district to

give financial assistance to all its students for the total cost of enrollment.

“The West Valley-Mission Community College District is committed to serving students from all walks of life—despite being in a region known for a higher cost of living,” Cortese said. “SB 629 will open the doors of opportunity for hardworking students across Silicon Valley. It follows smart financial stewardship and tremendous generosity by the West Valley-Mission Community College District.”

Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

POLICE PROVIDE STATISTICS

Cameras, from page 4

license plate files with other jurisdictions, because Flock is based in Georgia—where abortion is illegal after around six weeks—there’s no reason why law enforcers there couldn’t demand police here supply information about someone who’d visited Los Gatos seeking to end a pregnancy.

“They can hand over data if they want to,” he said, adding Silicon Valley leaders have been among the most concerned with the reach of surveillance tech. “Steve Jobs famously used to drive a new car on a regular basis so he could conceal his license plate.”

Rachel Richards, a police transparency researcher who says she’s been harassed by law enforcement in New York—and who recently passed through the Los Gatos area herself— notes the technology is powerful and potentially harmful.

“It’s casting an extremely wide net, and it’s catching a lot of personal information and data,” she said. “Will we now start tracking people in states where abortion is illegal?”

Recent court decisions in New York and Chicago have shone a light on how police inappropriately responded to Black Lives Matter demonstrations and have begun to place limits on the unencumbered use of spy tech, she adds.

“People were being surveilled with

the specific intent to silence them,” she said of how digital tools were used against racial justice activists. “The implications of this technology are going to manifest themselves in ways we can’t even imagine.”

That’s why it’s so important to lay down ground rules before things go off the rails, according to Richards.

“The time to put those measures in place is now,” she said. “This is not a police state. This is not an autocratic society—yet.”

The way Los Gatos police officials put it, its license plate surveillance helped resolve around 100 cases, compared to the approximately 2,000 crime reports it receives each year—a 20% rate.

However, this statistic includes what Police Chief Jamie Field considers one of the greatest benefits of the system— that it not only can help solve crimes, but that it also scares people off who have yet to break the law in Los Gatos.

She outlined her view, during a Jan. 17 report to Council, in response to a question from Councilmember Matthew Hudes about the usefulness of the technology.

“It really provides us with a smart-deployment pattern, because as we are alerted to those vehicles coming into town that may be involved

in some kind of criminal activity…it's able to alert, immediately, our dispatch center—and all of our deployed resources—to that area,” she said. “We have been able to prevent crime from occurring here, and I mention that because that's something that's very difficult to measure.”

Capt. Derek Moye echoed the sentiment, noting when Los Gatos learns of suspects arriving on Los Gatos’ doorstep, the idea is to give those “bad players” the feeling that, “‘Oh my gosh, Los Gatos has 20,000 cops,’” causing them to turn around.

“I'm trying to figure out a way to measure how many times that happened, and all the crime we prevented,” he told Council. “Because when people have these stolen vehicles, they're not out to joyride, they're out to commit crimes—that's why they do it.”

Critics—like the American Civil Liberties Union—fear new high-tech tools will only end up exacerbating America’s entrenched problem with racial inequality, something highlighted in the data presented during the same report.

According to Field’s presentation, between July and December 2022, more than half (52%) of the people stopped by Los Gatos-Monte Sereno police—684—were white, while 27%—358 people—were perceived to be Hispanic or Latino.

That was followed by 155 people categorized as Asian (9%), 99 people perceived as Middle Eastern or South Asian (7% of stops), 58 Black people (4%), 9 Pacific Islanders (1%), and 2 deemed Native Americans (less than 1%).

According to the U.S. Census, Los Gatos is made up of 70.1% white people, suggesting these residents are being stopped by local police at a disproportionately lower rate. As Hispanic or Latino people make up just 8.3% of Los Gatos’ population, it appears these residents are experiencing forced interactions with police at a much higher rate than people of other backgrounds.

Meanwhile, with Asian residents making up 16.8% of the town’s population, it seems this demographic group is getting stopped disproportionately less frequently by law enforcement.

Of course, the local force patrols an area that extends beyond Los Gatos’ geographical boundaries, and community members don’t just include people who live here.

During the same period, 31% of stops in Los Gatos by police were of females (396), compared with the 50.9% of Los Gatans who identify as female;

890 stops were of males (69%), followed by five of transgender males and two of transgender females.

Last June, the ACLU Foundation of Northern California announced it had settled its lawsuit against former Marin County Sheriff Robert Doyle, after his office illegally shared license plate and location information—captured by its network of surveillance cameras—to hundreds of federal and out-of-state agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.

One public commenter at Council in Los Gatos wondered why local officers have been stopping people from some racial groups at a much higher rate than others.

“It appeared to me that the ratio was about 50/50 in terms of people of color versus whites that were being pulled over,” said John Shepardson, a lawyer who lives in Los Gatos. “I wanted to know if there was any consideration of why that was taking place. Because my understanding (is) that’s different than the demographic in town, although I realize that we have a number of people that drive through the town that don’t live here, but maybe work here.”

However, Shepardson said he supports the Flock program.

“I was encouraged by that,” he said. “An idea that I thought of, that if the Town goes forward with that, that it might actually even sort of advertise—that this is a ‘Flock surveillance community’ and put that message out as a further deterrent.”

Hudes asked Field if the speaker had been interpreting the race data correctly.

“While it may not be exact what our demographics are in town, we also recognize that we have a lot of folks that come to the community to work, to visit, and for many other purposes as well,” Field said, noting the information is based on officers’ perceptions. “But there’s no further evaluation at this time.”

Councilmember Rob Rennie asked about the $40,000 per year price tag to sign up with Flock, following the trial period.

Field said the first couple years of service were paid for by the State’s Supplemental Law Enforcement Services Fund.

“That was something that was going to have to be evaluated this year should Flock be a piece of technology we would like to continue forward with,” she said. “Then we would have to build that into the budget for fiscal 23-24.”

POLICE BLOTTER

FEB. 12

• A man was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol on the 400 block of N. Santa Cruz Avenue at 2:18am.

• A man was reportedly throwing garbage on the ground and using the property as a bathroom on the 15700 block of Los Gatos Boulevard at 6pm.

• A caller reported someone threw an orange at their home on Via Palomino.

FEB. 13

• Someone burglarized a vehicle parked on Winchester Boulevard.

• A man was arrested for being in possession of a controlled substance on the 1900 block of White Oaks Road at 1:13am.

• A man was arrested for driving with a suspended license on National Avenue and Samaritan Drive at 9:01pm.

FEB. 14

• A man was arrested for contempt of court on the 16100 block of Los Gatos Boulevard at 10:30am.

FEB. 15

• A house was reportedly burglarized on Greenwood Road.

• A food delivery driver refused to leave on Daves Avenue at 1:19pm.

FEB. 16

• A business was reportedly burglarized on Winchester Boulevard.

• A vehicle was reported stolen on Shelburne Way.

FEB. 17

• A man was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol on Lark Avenue and Highway 17 at 12:37am.

• A man was arrested for being in possession of unlawful paraphernalia on the 100 block of Riviera Drive at 2:03am.

• Someone stole a vehicle’s catalytic converter on Los Gatos Boulevard.

• A man reportedly stole a basket-full of Advil at a store on Blossom Hill Road at 6:11pm.

• A man was arrested for battery on the 15300 block of Winchester Boulevard at 8:11pm.

• A caller reported a loud party on Bruce Avenue at 11:37pm.

FEB. 18

• A man was arrested for being a prohibited person in possession of ammunition on the 100 block of Town Terrace at 1:06am.

• Nearly $1,500 in electronics was reported stolen from a store on N. Santa Cruz Avenue.

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

WILDCATS RENEWED IN TITLE SEASON

LGHS engineers rapid turnaround

Emanuel Lee,

Sports Editor

Coach Jessica Ingram and the players on this year’s Los Gatos High girls soccer team talked about changing the culture within the program.

Mission accomplished.

The Wildcats’ tremendous season continued in the most thrilling fashion as they beat Salinas High in penalty kicks (4-2) after the teams were deadlocked at 1-1 through 80 minutes of regulation and 20 minutes of overtime. The No. 3 seed Wildcats (15-32) advance to a Division I semifinal match at No. 2 seed Sequoia High of Redwood City Feb. 22 at 5pm.

It’s been quite a rapid turnaround. Last season, the Wildcats finished 1-16 overall and 1-11 in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League’s De Anza Division. This year, Los Gatos went a near-perfect 11-0-1 to win the SCVAL’s lower El Camino Division championship.

“There’s just so much pride we’re feeling right now,” standout junior Caitlyn Simons said after the team’s 4-1 title-clinching win over Wilcox High on Feb. 14. “Being here right now after winning almost every single [league] game and just knowing we’ve worked so hard to turn our culture around, it’s an amazing feeling and I am so proud of everyone here because everyone worked so hard for this.”

Culture can mean different things to different people, but in Los Gatos’ situation, Simons said the team’s culture change revolves around the increased trust the players have for each other.

“We had team chemistry last year, but this year I would bet my life on any of these girls because I know they always have my back,” said Simons, a UC Santa Barbara-commit. “Our willingness to work together and count on each other, just knowing that, it turns the results around.”

The Wildcats entered the Wilcox match needing just a draw to clinch

the league championship outright. Instead, they showed their superiority against a team that was responsible for Los Gatos’ only tie in division action, a scoreless draw in the league opener on Dec. 15.

Since then, the Wildcats have improved and they certainly showed it in the rematch with Wilcox.

“We weren’t happy with tying them last time because we knew we could’ve won that game,” Simons said. “So to

come out with a win this time really helped us achieve most of our goals this season. We have a lot of seniors and they knew this was their last league game, and we wanted to go out with a bang.”

Brynn Gibson scored two goals and Leila Pozas and Sam Elliott had one goal each in the Wilcox game, which showed the Wildcats’ skill, depth and cohesiveness. They often strung together passes with remarkable precision, leading to

several great scoring opportunities and a dominant time of possession.

“The girls have grown a lot this season in their possession and being in control and composed in their game,” Ingram said. “I think that plays a huge part in our development and success this season. Being disciplined defensively and organized are key qualities for them as well.”

Gibson and Pozas connected on a couple of give-and-go sequences and the two put the ball on each other’s foot throughout, with Pozas assisting on both of Gibson’s goals. Simons and Malia Yamamoto—the team’s other Division I commit—helped Los Gatos control the possession by being strong on the ball and passing it before defenders could contest things.

Pozas seemingly was involved in every Los Gatos shot, whether it was passing to a teammate that led to a shot or taking it herself to the penalty area. Elliott was a force in the attacking third, often making strong runs on the flanks.

Gibson was equally active and displayed her tremendous finishing ability. Macie Yannoni, Sahara Melinauskas, Marissa Volpe, Carly Enneking, Kate Gruetter, Elena White and goalkeepers Cora Bryant and Emily Duvall were also some of the players who played key roles vs. Wilcox and throughout the season.

Ingram said not too many things beats seeing the joy on the players’ faces after a dominant performance to clinch a league title.

“It’s amazing,” she said. “I’ve watched this group of girls come together and buy into everything I’ve asked them to do, and because of that they’re the reason why they’ve gotten this far. And it’s even better when you see things click for them.”

Ingram said the entire culture shift has enveloped the junior varsity team as well.

“The nice thing is we came into the season looking to change the culture and focus on what we wanted the players to be a part of, and because of that I think the players from the JV team will be solid moving into the varsity next year,” Ingram said. “The varsity team did a fantastic job of setting the standard and making sure we go forward in everything we do.”

TITLE The Los Gatos High girls soccer team celebrates a goal from Leila Pozas during their 4-1 win over Wilcox High on Feb. 14, a result that clinched the SCVAL El Camino Division championship.

Jonathan Natividad

WRESTLERS MEET HIGH EXPECTATIONS

Wrestling, from page 1

CCS champions Antonio Rodriguez at 113 pounds, EJ Parco (145) and Dylan Pile (160).

Oleksandr Nyzhnyk placed second at 195 pounds and the team’s depth really showed as it had a bounty of third-place finishers in Joseph Pavlov-Ramirez (126), Peter Bowen (132), Timmy Murabito (138), Anthony Pavlov-Ramirez (152) and Om Shastri (220).

Lucas Pannell took fourth at 170 to round out the placers. The top three in each weight class advance to the CIF State Championships Feb. 23-25 at Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield. Parco repeated as a CCS champion in dominant fashion, recording a 13-4 major decision victory over Palma’s Ethan Gonzalez in the 145-pound title match.

In six contested matches spanning the CCS Northern Regionals and the Masters Finals, Parco recorded three wins via pinfall—all in the first peri-

od—two technical fall wins and the major decision. Dominating would be an apt description of his performance.

“This year I’m a little more seasoned. I know my stuff better, more experience, my pace is better,” said Parco, who entered the week ranked No. 3 in the state in his weight class.

“I was loose and focused on myself and what I needed to do in each match. I worked a lot over the summer on technique and hand fighting, and been doing a lot of extra work and getting my cardio up. … I love being a part of Los Gatos wrestling. My teammates are great, and our coach [Greg Varela] is one of the best coaches in the U.S.”

Pile, a sophomore, is fulfilling the great expectations Varela had for him upon entering high school. However, Pile’s entire freshman season was wiped out due to an injury, and Varela praised Pile for getting after it in

rehab, in the wrestling room and in every aspect of the sport to become a championship athlete. Pile was involved in a tight contest with Gilroy’s Travis Grace, eventually winning by a 4-2 decision.

Pile trailed 2-0 early in the second period before scoring on a reversal later in the period to make it 2-2. The sophomore scored again on a reversal early in the third, then rode Grace out the rest of the period to victory. The two have proven to be the best in the CCS this season, which made for a tremendous contest.

“The match was tough,” said Pile, who is ranked No. 2 in the state. “He’s really strong so the key was avoiding all of his dive attacks. He kept shooting and shooting and I kept fending him off. He went after me but I just had a bigger gas tank and lasted longer. And riding on top was key, too. I’m really excited and it was awesome to win CCS.”

Freshman sensation Rodriguez, No. 2 in the state at 113 pounds, was facing a formidable opponent in Monta Vista’s Hayden Ancheta, ranked No.

5. Rodriguez beat Ancheta 3-1 in the Northern Regional final, then delivered a dominant performance in the Masters Final with a 4-0 victory.

Rodriguez scored on a takedown and reversal and was in control throughout. He never was close to allowing a takedown against a very tough opponent. Parco said it’s always a huge boost to a team to see a freshman display so many skills and compete at a high level.

“Antonio definitely brings a lot of good things to the team,” Parco said. “Especially seeing someone that young excel at that level.”

Parco and Pile are training partners and the two have definitely sharpened and toughened each other to win CCS and a possible podium finish at State. Pile definitely piled—no pun intended—on the CCS competition. In eight matches spanning the Regionals and Masters, Pile won six via pinfall and teched another opponent.

“I train with EJ everyday and we push each other really hard,” Pile said. “The Los Gatos wrestling room is great. I love it and it’s like a family.”

IN CONTROL Los Gatos sophomore Dylan Pile’s top game was on point in a 4-2 decision win over Gilroy’s Travis Grace in the CCS Masters Final 160-pound title match Feb. 18 at Watsonville High.

SURGERY ROBOT STARS IN LOS GATOS CHAMBER EVENT

Don Le, Reporter

Doctors from Good Samaritan Hospital showed off a precision robot made by Sunnyvale-based Intuitive Surgical called “the da Vinci Xi” at a networking mixer hosted by the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce, Feb. 15.

For the evening presentation at Best Western Inn of Los Gatos, Dr. Kristine Borrison and Dr. Richard Nguyen demonstrated how the hightech tool can easily pick up a penny

or rubber band with its tweezer-like metal claws.

Nguyen said the robot allows doctors at Good Samaritan “to do really highly advanced procedures through very small incisions” that are minimally invasively, provide faster recovery times and less pain after surgeries.

“The takeaway is that here—right here in Los Gatos, at our local hospital—we have all the capabilities with the new technology and the most

skilled surgeons that can provide a high level of care,” Nguyen said. “We're doing very high-level procedures that are very uncommon in other places.”

Nguyen said the doctors at Good Samaritan have been using the da Vinci Xi in real operations since 2013. He's personally been using it since 2008, he added.

“We've used this robot as well as other generations of this robot for over 10 years in the hospitals now,” Nguyen said. “So currently, actively, I'm using this ex-

act model over at Good Samaritan—as well as El Camino Los Gatos hospitals.”

Borrison said turning to robotics was a way of improving the quality of care for residents of Los Gatos and the surrounding area.

“We wanted to really highlight that we have state-of-the-art technology in the community, we have well-renowned physicians and that we're trying to keep as much of our healthcare in the community,” she said.

PRECISION The da Vinci Xi surgery robot was in the limelight at a Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce event Feb. 15.

GUEST VIEW

MAKING THE ROAD MAP WORK

Jeffrey P. Blum, Contributor

Around spring 1970, I took my first cross country road trip with my college friend, Cliff, who later became a doctor and then the surgeon general of New Jersey. We began our journey at our college, Rutgers University. We sang Bob Dylan songs and hummed Beatles’ ditties, slept in our car outside Pittsburgh, ate White Castle hamburgers in Chicago, got a flat tire in Ohio, going west and returning east, paid about 11 cents a gallon for gas in Oklahoma, scared one another to death with stories about ax murderers while camping in Tonto National Forest, and visited Sid Caesar’s son, Ricky, in Beverly Hills. Sid’s son was a poker playing friend of mine in high school, before his family moved west.

Of course, we used an AAA-provided road map to guide us on our journey.

These days, as a member of the Community Health and Senior Services Commission (CHSSC), I consider a very different type of road map; the one prepared by the Senior Service Committee, to address deficiencies in senior services in our town. These deficiencies were detailed in a report prepared by CHSSC after comparing services and facilities available to seniors in nearby towns, to those available in Los Gatos.

Unlike many reports that are read and then shelved, never to be heard from again, this Road Map will be implemented, judging from the work that went into creating it, the positive comments made by town council members after reviewing it, and based upon my impression of the level of commitment of CHSSC commissioners to implementing it.

The Road Map is the product of an incredible amount of work, including conducting a town-wide survey of senior services, doing a deeper dive investigation of senior services in similarly situated towns, including Princeton, New Jersey, just down the road from where I attended college, and holding multiple meetings with residents. Following this, the Senior Service Committee members spent many hours building a consensus and writing the Road Map report, which is more than 45 pages long.

The Road Map listed seven primary goals for improving senior services in Los Gatos: 1. Having an appealing and in-

viting facility; 2. Continuing core senior services in the short term; 3. Improving communications and engagement; 4. Improving volunteer support and engagement; 5. Enhancing transportation options for older adults; 6. Improving information dissemination and housing options for seniors; and 7. Establishing integrated governance, funding and accountability for senior services.

The report provides one-, three- and 10-year benchmarks for each of the seven goals. It also provides guidelines for determining responsibilities for meeting the goals.

CHSSC will play a significant role in fulfilling many of the goals of the Road Map.

Seniors currently make up about 21% of the town’s population. The percentage of seniors in our town is projected to increase to approximately 30% or more in the next several years. These facts, and the fact that CHSSC and the Senior Service Committee so effectively highlighted the deficiencies in senior services in Los Gatos, perhaps explains why the town council decided to make improving senior services one of its strategic priorities for 2023.

Having the Road Map, the commitment from the town council, and a core group of commissioners and others who are willing to work on implementing the Road Map, is a start. However, to be successful in improving senior services, we need others who are willing to help. We need people who are willing to serve on subcommittees, provide expertise in areas such as marketing, housing and transportation on occasion, and residents who will publicize the benefits the Road Map offers to seniors and by extension, to the community at large. Without this community-based commitment, I fear we may end up lost, as my traveling friend Cliff and I often found ourselves, having a powerful Road Map, but as Bob Dylan would say, with no direction home.

If you are interested in helping with this important project, contact me at blumesq@aol.com.

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

LOCAL SCENE

WELL-KNOWN WINE AUTHOR VISITS LOS GATOS

The Tasting House, 368 Village Lane in Los Gatos, will host a book signing and wine tasting event with Karen MacNeil on Feb. 25 at 4pm.

MacNeil is the author of the award-winning book, “The Wine Bible,” one of the best-selling wine books in the United States with more than one million copies sold. She is an instructor at Stanford University’s Continuing Studies program where she teaches the course Wine’s Connection to Culture and Place: Stories in a Bottle, and is the creator and Chair Emerita of the Culinary Institute of America’s Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies.

Carrying more than 400 wines from across the globe, the Tasting House offers a menu of wine and food flights, bistro plates served à la carte with recommended wine pairings, and bottles for every budget.

Ticket price is $75. This includes a signed copy of the third edition of “The Wine Bible,” an educational wine tasting experience with MacNeil, and a glass of sparkling wine and a cheese and charcuterie buffet upon arrival.

➝ tastinghouse.com/events.

LOS GATANS RECOGNIZED AT MONTCLAIR STATE UNIVERSITY

Two Los Gatos residents were named to the Fall 2022 Dean’s List at Montclair State University.

KB Merkel and Bridget Opperman were among the students recognized. The Dean's List gives recognition to students with a 3.50 or higher semester GPA if a minimum of 12 credits is earned in courses that contribute to the GPA and if there are no incomplete grades for that semester.

Montclair State University is a research doctoral institution located 12 miles from New York City.

REPORT DAMAGES TO PROPERTY THAT OCCURRED DURING WINTER STORMS

The January winter storms brought widespread heavy rain, flooding and

strong winds to Santa Clara County causing damages including flooding and mudslides across the region. The County of Santa Clara continues to gather damage information from residents for submittal to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in an effort to help community members recover from the extreme weather event.

The County of Santa Clara is accepting self-reported damage estimates of properties that occurred between Dec. 27 to Jan. 31 due to the winter storms.

“The County is reaching out to our partners and community members to gather any additional damage estimate information that we have not received to date,” said Dana Reed, director of the Office of Emergency

Management. “We have also requested an extension through CalOES to submit additional damage reported.”

Community members are encouraged to self-report property damage estimates by going to PrepareSCC. org/Flood and taking the damage estimate survey or by calling the County’s Winter Storm Emergency Response and Recovery hotline at 408.808.7778.

The self-reporting period will end on Feb. 23 at 11:59pm.

VALLEY WATER ACCEPTING GRANT APPLICATIONS

Valley Water is accepting applications for its 2023 Safe, Clean Water Grants Program. Each year, Valley

Water provides funding for projects that support the mission of providing safe, clean water for a healthy life, environment and economy.

"We’re dedicated to supporting projects that make a difference in our communities," said John L. Varela, chair of Valley Water's Board of Directors. "Through our Safe, Clean Water Grants Program, we are able to work with Santa Clara County residents toward the common goal of protecting and enhancing our water resources."

The Grants & Partnerships Program is part of the Safe, Clean Water and Natural Flood Protection Program, a parcel tax Santa Clara County voters renewed in November 2020. For 2023, Valley Water has a total of $1.4 million with no minimum or maximum amount per project that fits into the following categories:

• Water Conservation: Projects that research and identify devices, programs and strategies that can help save water and promote conservation efforts.

• Pollution Prevention: Technical assistance, public education or other means to reduce contaminants in water.

• Volunteer Cleanup Efforts and Education: Projects that assist with cleanup and watershed stewardship activities, as well as education and outreach about watersheds.

• Wildlife Habitat Restoration: Projects that support or restore native plants and animals. Examples include creating or enhancing wetlands to remove non-native, invasive plants to protect threatened or endangered species.

• Access to Trails and Open Space Grants: Projects that provide and increase access to open space and creekside trails.

Valley Water encourages applications from those working on projects that promote equity and allow resources to reach historically underserved areas. First-time applicants and applicants that demonstrate financial stability are encouraged to apply.

Applications are due by March 10. ➝ valleywater.org/grants.

‘THE WINE BIBLE’ Wine author Karen MacNeil will be at the Tasting House in Los Gatos on Feb. 25.

Susan Wong

CALENDAR

Freeze damage requires selective pruning

Tony Tomeo, Contributor

Pruning at the proper time has been a concern all winter. Dormant pruning was timely as soon as defoliation began. It remains timely almost until bloom. Pollarding and coppicing are generally although unnecessarily a bit later within that range. Spring pruning begins soon after bloom. Pruning of freeze damage starts after the last reasonable threat of frost.

Frost is as variable as the many climates here. Generally, it causes more damage farther inland and at higher elevations. Conversely and generally, it causes less damage closer to the coast and at lower elevations. Many southern coastal climates experience no frost. However, frigid air drains downhill. Within any plateau, the frostiest areas are the lowest.

Last frost dates should help with scheduling of pruning or grooming of freeze damage to vulnerable vegetation. The last frost date for a climate is the average date of its last frost. Frost becomes increasingly unlikely afterward. That is the best time to add warm season vegetables and annuals to the garden. It is also when to begin grooming freeze damage.

If not too unsightly, freeze damage lingers until the last frost date for two primary reasons. It shelters vulnerable tissue below, including any new growth that develops prematurely. Also, removal of such damage stimulates new growth that would be even more exposed and innately more vulnerable to frost. However, priorities change soon after the last frost.

Then, it becomes important to groom or prune away freeze damage prior to generation of fresh new growth. For milder climates, it is already timely to do so. It might be a while for less mild climates. Even for frostless climates, this might be a good time to groom growth that is only incidentally shabby. Such grooming gets more complicated with new growth.

Many zonal geraniums are already extending new growth up through shabby old growth. Removal of such old growth or freeze damage without damaging mingling new growth is no simple task. If new growth stretches for

sunlight below old growth, it might flop without support from the old growth. It may be more practical to cut all growth back to regenerate. Canna also develop similar complications.

Highlight: jade plant

Wandering Jew, spider plant, various philodendron and jade plant were among the most popular houseplants of the 1970s. They are as easy to propagate as they are to grow, so they were popular gifts for friends and neighbors.

Jade plant, Crassula ovata, commonly grew too big to stay inside without pruning. It fortunately grows better than the others outdoors.

Jade plant does not grow fast, but can eventually get more than six feet tall, with a densely rounded form. The succulent stems of such large specimens get quite plump, but remain rather fragile. The paired evergreen leaves are thickly succulent, and mostly a bit longer than two inches. Clusters of tiny pale pink or white flowers are not especially impressive.

At least one cultivar is variegated with irregular white stripes. Another is somewhat ruddy with relatively compact growth. Others exhibit tubular or curly leaves. Foliage can fade or develop narrow red edges in response to harsh exposure or heat. It is also susceptible to frost damage. Jade plant is mildly toxic, but also potentially appealing to dogs who chew.

Tony Tomeo can be contacted at tonytomeo.com.

For more events, visit the online calendar at losgatan.com/events-calendar

COMMUNITY WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN MEETING

The Santa Clara County Fire Department will hold a meeting for residents of the Lexington Basin area to learn more about the Community Wildfire Protection Plan. The meeting will be held Feb. 22 at 5:30pm in the Pavilion at Redwood Estates, 21450 Madrone Drive in Los Gatos.

➝ sccfd.org/santa-clara-countycommunity-wildfire-protection-plan.

TERRA 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 curator 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 Tasting 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 Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, along with Sunday afternoons.

➝ bit.ly/3OSvPHS.

ONGOING

Los Gatos Farmers Market

The Los Gatos Certified Farmers’ Market offers seasonal fruits and vegetables 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. Santa 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 Thursdays 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 Blossom 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 every 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-Saratoga 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.

➝ osgatosca.gov/189/PlanningCommission.

Santa Clara County Supervisors

The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors meets virtually on Tuesdays at 9am.

➝ bit.ly/3oy2Zmq.

EASY TO GROW Jade plant is vulnerable to frost.

REAL ESTATE HOME OF THE WEEK

RETREAT WITH EXTRAS

This six-acre property boasts a separate cottage, workshop and arena. Located at 25265 Terrace Grove Road in Los Gatos, the 3,927-squarefoot, three-level home features four bedrooms and four bathrooms.

The main floor features high ceilings, ample natural light, a great room, office, formal dining, powder room, laundry and mudroom off the garage. The bottom level includes a family room, full bath, wet bar, and

direct access to the backyard. The cottage features two bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen and laundry, a large workshop, and a one-car garage. The property also includes mature fruit trees and a home generator and access to two wells.

The home, built in 2004, is listed at $2,688,000 by Keller Williams Realty - Silicon Valley. For information, visit bit.ly/3YFqpp3.

Keller Williams Realty

TERRACE GROVE ROAD Views are abundant on all three levels of this home.

Keller Williams Realty

INSIDE The main home features high ceilings and ample natural light.

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.