Los Gatan 4-26-2023

CENSURE OF CLARK REVERSED AFTER ACLU THREAT

Council approves conflict of interest probe into commissioner

Drew Penner, Reporter

In the exact same motion where the Town Council voted to reverse their discipline of Planning Commissioner Kylie Clark—after the Town’s own attorney said she agreed with the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California’s argument that the Town violated her free speech rights—it also authorized a conflict-of-interest investigation that will scrutinize her more closely than anyone else.

In the wee hours of April 19, at its regularly-scheduled April 18 meeting, Councilmember Rob Rennie tried to make a motion that first rescinded the censure of Clark, before considering the question of conflict of interest.

Clark was officially chastised on multiple occasions for referring to the proponents of a ➝ Censure, 6

IN SPLIT DECISION, COUNCIL AGREES TO TRANSFER $844K FOR SHANNON ROAD REDESIGN

Neighbors question need for bike lane upgrades, Town’s hesitance to rework designs

Drew Penner, Reporter

Mayor Maria Ristow helped push through funding for a bike and pedestrian project on a 1,400-foot residential section of Shannon Road that connects with Los Gatos Boulevard, despite several neighbors asking Council to scale it back. She did so, during the April 18 Council meeting, by bringing forward a motion to transfer $844,676 between Town accounts that both Councilmember Matthew Hudes and Vice Mayor Mary Badame voted against.

➝ Shannon, 4

lacrosse team grows p10 : student artists p14 : upcoming events p15 : ny times crossword puzzle p17

LOCAL TASTE Bill and Doris Cooper of Cooper-Garrod Estate Vineyards in Saratoga pour wine for attendees of the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce’s Wine Walk on April 22. The sold-out event featured more than 32 wineries stationed at various businesses throughout downtown.

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HIGHLY TRAVELED ROAD DISCUSSED

Shannon, from page 1

This followed a unanimous motion by Councilmember Rob Moore (seconded by Ristow) directing staff to revise the design to remove “large asphalt buffers,” to replace at least some parking spaces with trees (and add vegetation elsewhere), to pay consultant Activewayz another $25,238 to continue work on the upgrades, to organize an on-site community meeting, and to prioritize returning the item to Council to avoid losing grants.

“I love this street. I walk on it. I bike on it. I’m on it at least once a week. It’s beautiful,” said Ristow, while making a comment about why she believes there need to be buffers beyond the three-foot cycling lanes. “But I think it will also be beautiful when there’s sidewalks and bike lanes.”

Several Shannon Road residents shared concerns over how the project had ballooned from $1.9 million to $2.3 million and how they felt the Town hadn’t been willing to do a redesign after hearing their feedback, in part due to deadlines for accessing grants worth $1.1 million.

Director of Parks and Public Works Nicolle Burnham introduced the item, which had been identified as a priority project in Los Gatos’ 2020 Bicycle and Pedestrian Masterplan.

“The street is characterized by a relatively high volume of traffic—about

5,500 vehicles per day,” she said, noting it’s also a popular route for Blossom Hill Elementary and Fisher Middle School students. “There are sidewalk gaps— significant sidewalk gaps. Most of this stretch of road doesn’t have any sidewalks at all right now.”

After kicking off work on the project back in 2020, Council selected a design concept in October and held multiple community meetings to solicit community feedback.

At that time, Council was very explicit in excluding the protective plastic cylinders called bollards from the design, yet, some residents, who feel the features wouldn’t be an aesthetically pleasing addition to the neighborhood, weren’t aware of this development.

“First of all, to be clear, there are no bollards proposed with this project—no green bollards, no white bollards, no bollards,” said Burnham, who took over the project when she was hired last year. “We added to the bid document the introduction of up to 14 new trees.”

But residents pointed out that plans posted to the website they’d seen did not include anything about adding vegetation.

Staff explained that planners had recently included the greenery update as an add-on, in order to avoid having to redesign the project.

However, residents remained deeply suspicious, as these concerns had previously arisen at an in-person meeting on Shannon Road where residents asked planned parking spaces to be replaced with trees.

Council heard that the previous Town’s previous top engineer, Woojae Kim—currently listed as the Public Works Director/City Engineer for Los Altos Hills—hadn’t been very open to making changes to the drawings.

Cheri Finalle Binkley said she believes the project is too expensive and would create a sea of pavement and asphalt.

And she argued Los Gatos’ community meetings about the plans weren’t adequate.

“It was more that we were presented to, multiple times,” she said. “It wasn’t that there was some meeting and people came and talked to us, and we got to have an interaction and conversate and understand these plans. They were shown on a screen for a mere few moments and they’d say, ‘Which do you like better, A or B?’”

She explained she’d rather have greenspace instead of 6- to 7-foot buffers in front of her home, and said she won’t believe vegetation will be included until she sees that in the plans.

“We’ve been told multiple times that they’re going to work with residents, they’re gonna add greenspace,” she said. “Oh, there’s deadlines. There’s deadlines. There’s deadlines. But these changes never happen. We never see it. It never

➝ Shannon, 6

Drew Penner/Los Gatan

UPCOMING PROJECT The Los Gatos Town Council approved funding to redesign Shannon Road.

Thinking about selling your house?

If you’ve been waiting for the right time, it could be now while the supply of homes for sale is so low. HousingWire shares:

“.... the big question is whether we are finally starting to see the seasonal spring increase in inventory. The answer is no, because active listings fell to a new low last week for 2023 ”

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) confirms today’s housing inventory is low by looking at the months’ supply of homes on the market. In a balanced market, about a six-month supply is needed. Anything lower is a sellers’ market. And today, the number is much lower:

“Total housing inventory registered at the end of February was 980,000 units, identical to January and up 15.3% from one year ago (850,000). Unsold inventory sits at a 2.6-month supply at the current sales pace, down 10.3% from January but up from 1.7 months in February 2022.”

Why Does Low Inventory Make It a Good Time To Sell?

The less inventory there is on the market when you sell, the less competition you’re likely to face from other sellers. That means your house will get more attention from the buyers looking for a home this spring. And since there are significantly more buyers in the market than there are homes for sale, you could even receive more than one offer on your house. Multiple offers are on the rise again.

MAJORITY SPEAK IN SUPPORT

Censure, from page 1

referendum that upended the 2040 General Plan’s residential densification provisions as “a few rich white anti-housing men,” in an email to the California Department of Housing and Community Development.

Last week’s reversal hearing occurred in the context of the State’s recent rejection of the Town’s Housing Element, which Vice Mayor Mary Badame attempted to blame in-part on Clark’s email.

But Councilmember Matthew Hudes, speaking remotely from Japan where he’d gone to speak at a conference, said he’d refuse to support Rennie’s motion unless a legal probe was launched—simultaneously—into Clark’s housing advocacy for West Valley Community Services.

The proceeding was complicated by the fact that Clark’s partner, Councilmember Rob Moore, had recused himself. And Badame said she would abstain, because she’d received such conflicting legal advice from Town Attorney Gabrielle Whelan.

So, Rennie said he’d agree to an amendment that would rescind Clark’s censure but would authorize a review of potential conflicts of interest of all planning commissioners.

For Hudes, who echoed the sentiments of many in Los Gatos who were disappointed that Clark’s punishment for criticizing the racial and socio-economic elements behind Los Gatos’ relatively segregated nature was being lifted, that wasn’t strong enough.

Hudes said his questions during the special February discipline hearing— which Clark’s supporters considered a “witch hunt”—revealed that at least some of her income comes from housing work. He asked Rennie to target Clark specifically.

Rennie said he’d update his motion such that a conflict probe would apply to all planning commissioners, but—to appease Hudes—said only Clark would have to face the prowess of outside legal investigators. Everyone else could have a compliance check done by staff.

Whelan noted staff might not uncover conflicts, the way she agreed she had overlooked potential crossover between Clark’s private, pro-housing activities and her role as a planning commissioner.

And she cautioned that people will likely see the Council’s decision as retaliatory against Clark, even if it technically doesn’t violate any laws.

The motion passed in a 3-0-1 decision, where no one voted against, but with Badame abstaining (Moore recused).

This ended a raucous meeting, punctuated by clapping and outbursts (against Town policy), which saw more than 30 people share their views on the discipline of Clark.

However, unlike at the February meeting, where a greater share came down against the commissioner’s behavior, this time only five people railed against her during the public hearing (plus two in comments during Verbal Communications).

The rest seemed appalled at how the Town had handled things.

In one instance, the Council got an AP Government lesson from a local student who instructed they’d broken a rule that even high schoolers learn about.

Minorities, housing activists, political officials from around the region and longtime Los Gatos residents all spoke in support of Clark.

Throughout the night she was cast as “brave” and a “role model” who’s been inundated with “sexist” attacks.

Tamela Fish, a communications consultant who helped with community outreach for Los Gatos’ Housing Element, said while Clark could’ve worded her email to Sacramento differently, it wasn’t fair to put her through what she endured.

“The meeting in which she was censured kinda had the tone of a political public shaming, with little to no additional information on the referendum, the underlying issues within the comments, or any solutions provided,” she said. “In fact, it felt outright unsafe to me.”

Many lamented that it took the threat of legal action from the ACLU to get Los Gatos to do “the right thing.”

Even Mayor Maria Ristow acknowledged the Town had “trampled” on Clark’s First Amendment rights.

But the meeting also showcased the concerns of some residents who saw Clark’s comments to HCD as coming from someone who isn’t a fan of California’s approach to direct democracy, via sexist, race-focused language to try to shift power away from residents.

Others noted that Los Gatos’ anti-housing history that contributed to inequality in the Bay Area and California’s severe affordability crisis is a well-studied fact, one that the community has been slow to acknowledge.

This sluggishness was emphasized by HCD itself in its Housing Element rejection letter, April 14, in which it said the community didn’t appear to have taken its initial critique of the document to heart—particularly when it comes to addressing racial inequality.

“HCD’s prior review has various findings regarding an assessment of fair housing and appropriate policies and programs to affirmatively furthering fair housing,” HCD Senior Program Manager Paul McDougall wrote. “The Town’s findings do not address this essential statutory requirement.”

SHANNON ROAD NEIGHBORS SPEAK

Shannon, from page 4

comes to fruition. I urge you to send this back to get it right.”

As she finished speaking, the mayor had to verbally chastise the audience for breaking protocol and applauding. Her neighbor, Helen Sun, then got up to speak.

She said she’s happy there will now be greenery included in the plan, but “the buffers seem extremely excessive to us. I think it’s like six or seven feet for us, not to mention on the other side is, I think, another three feet—at least from the plans that we’re seeing. So, if you look at that from a percentage perspective, for

the road itself, that’s taking up almost a quarter of the road.”

Mark Bony, who moved to Shannon Road about four years ago with his wife, said they don’t want to see their street turn into an urban street.

“Our Shannon Road community is a vibrant and important part of Los Gatos—we all know that,” he said. “It’s a special place that has a rural feel for all residents that is cherished.”

Hudes noted that the Town could get money back from a commercial development at the Los Gatos Boulevard intersection, if that project gets approved.

PLANNING COMMISSIONER Kylie Clark has faced scrutiny for her comments to a state housing agency.

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PROSECUTORS SAY LOS GATOS MOTHER TRIED TO ESTABLISH DRUG RING IN JAIL

Families implore judge to offer O’Connor no less than 20 years behind bars

Drew Penner, Reporter

Over the past few months, Shannon O’Connor, the woman charged with manipulating teens into attending her drunken parties, came up with a scheme to smuggle drugs into the jail she’s stuck in, as her cases wind their way through Santa Clara County Superior Court, according to the District Attorney’s office.

She developed the idea over phone calls with “M.J.”—a woman she’d been in a sexual relationship with in custody, who was released earlier this year, prosecutors say.

Special ‘Happy Cards’ for Inmates

According to a Statement of Facts presented to Judge Elizabeth C. Peterson on April 21, O’Connor and M.J would send “Happy Cards” to a variety of inmates as a way to generate money and mess with other women behind bars.

O’Connor thought the cards—each apparently containing an eighth-of-anounce of methamphetamine—should go for $150. After some refinement of their business plan, they settled on $130 as the launch price.

“You just get a card here and I’ll sell it,” O’Connor reportedly told M.J. in one call. “I already got customers.”

O’Connor has been described in court time-and-time-again as a master manipulator. But in this venture, M.J. had a few ideas of her own about how the ‘Happy Cards’ product launch should go. She offered to send two off the bat, but told O’Connor to give “half” away for free.

O’Connor asked why they’d do such a thing.

“Because I said so,” M.J. reportedly pushed back. “Now listen to me. And if they want more, they’re going to like it, and they’re going to buy more.”

Later, when she’d lined up their first customer, O’Connor told M.J. about her “brilliant” idea she had to bypass security measures.

She told M.J. to buy a yellow envelope and put stickers on it with her attorney’s name and contact details, so their Happy Cards delivery might slip by Santa Clara County jail officials more easily, according to the DA’s Office, who note O’Connor went forward with the project despite M.J. expressing fear it would cause her to relapse.

“In all, Defendant and M.J. discussed

their plans to sell drugs across dozens of different recorded jail calls for an extended period,” the document reads. “They discussed timing, logistics, customers, pricing, and manufacture extensively.”

This latest feat of attempted Silicon Valley entrepreneurship was documented in the Statement of Facts, as O’Connor considers pleading to all 39 criminal charges she’s facing in the felony prosecution, in order to avoid a trial.

If O’Connor admits guilt or pleads no contest, she could receive a sentence as light as probation to as harsh as 20 years in prison, and she would have to register as a sex offender.

O’Connor is also accused of embezzling more than $120,000 from Hewlett-Packard subsidiary Aruba Networks, while working as an administrative assistant.

In recent weeks, O’Connor has continued to associate her sexuality with her child victims, the DA’s Office says, and appears to be manipulating her new lover into carrying out financial crimes on the outside by painting a picture of a life they could lead.

“They talked about moving to Santa Cruz or Idaho together,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in the April 20 document, which was also signed by Deputy District Attorney Rebekah Wise. “Defendant bragged about being able to remove her husband from the accounts and joked about putting her and M.J. in sole charge of her assets. She had M.J. contact the bank to try and get money.”

The DA’s office said O’Connor even got M.J. usernames, passwords, account and routing numbers for various accounts—including one in her son’s name.

Tech Executive Husband’s Role

Some witness testimony suggests O’Connor sought to conceal her activities from her husband, Robert Amaral, a technology company executive who previously pleaded no contest to participating in a worker compensation insurance fraud scheme in which O’Connor was a co-defendant (as KRON 4 reported).

But the new Statement of Facts suggests Amaral was a partner in at least some of O’Connor’s alleged criminal behavior.

On Oct. 19, while O’Connor was in custody, she reportedly told him to “drain money from her bank account in cash” and discussed how to protect the value of their hillside Los Gatos property on the Arroyo Del Rancho cul-de-sac.

“You better not f*** me, Robert,” she reportedly said.

“What do you mean about that?” Amaral asked.

“I signed everything over to you,” O’Connor said. “You know what I mean by that.”

Prosecutors say Amaral then confirmed “he was going to try to help her any way he could.”

In fact, the DA’s office notes Amaral was involved in the plan to protect their assets on the very day O’Connor was booked into Santa Clara County jail.

“While they were on the phone, Defendant and Amaral tried to access Defendant’s bank account at Provident Credit Union,” the Statement of Facts reads, adding the couple knew they were being recorded and so they spoke in code to communicate O’Connor’s username and password. “When her husband told her he could not access her account, she told him she had ‘money in there.’ Defendant then instructed him to recover her bank card, which her mother currently had, and withdraw the money from the account in cash.”

Shannon O’Connor was on property documents for their suburban-style mansion for more than a decade (through a revocable trust), according to Santa Clara County Recorder’s Office records referenced by prosecutors.

The couple even took out a $250,000 revolving line of credit with SunTrust (now part of Truist Financial) together against their property in 2018, the court papers state.

“Immediately after Defendant’s arrest in this case, a new grant deed was recorded on 120 Arroyo Del Rancho on October 21, 2021,” Rosen wrote. “This new grant deed claimed that ‘Robert H. Amaral, Jr. and Shannon M. Bruga,’ who acquired title as Shannon M. O’Conner…grant the property to ‘Robert H. Amaral, Jr., married man as his sole and separate property.’”

She signed the deed in front of an Idaho notary as ‘Shannon M. Bruga, Trustee’ on October 15, 2021.

The People filed for a restraining order and a preliminary injunction via the Aruba white collar crime case.

Both were granted, freezing the couple’s assets.

The DA’s Office reached a deal with O’Connor, and $600,000 was placed in a bank account to cover potential restitution, fines and fees in her criminal matters.

Urging Court to Give Maximum Sentence

As the mother of Jane Doe 4, one the youth who say they were victimized by O’Connor in Los Gatos and elsewhere,

stepped up to address Judge Peterson, Friday, it wasn’t as part of a trial or sentencing hearing.

Instead of a multi-day preliminary inquiry kicking off this week, the defense had elected to see what sentence Peterson might offer, in exchange for O’Connor pleading to all charges.

“I’m a little nervous,” the woman admitted to the judge.

She described uncovering the “terrible things” O’Connor was doing which, she said, ultimately led her daughter to a residential treatment program for alcohol abuse.

“None of these minors are safe with Shannon out of jail,” she said, arguing for the judge to offer no less than the maximum of 20 years that O’Connor is facing. “She’s a very sick individual and a sexual predator.”

Here, O’Connor targeted mostly Los Gatos High School freshmen and some Fisher Middle School students, she told the judge, but said O’Connor kept up a similar pattern involving families in Idaho. A woman and her daughters had even come all the way from Idaho to make sure their stories were heard, she added. The next speaker talked quickly and shared her conflicting emotions about O’Connor now being in jail.

“Dear judge, I am currently feeling overwhelmed,” she said. “Shannon did these actions. Shannon is an adult…She needs to face the consequences of what she did.”

She said she feels responsible for O’Connor’s loss of freedom because she shared her story with authorities, but says she’s come to terms with it.

“It prevented other kids from getting hurt,” she said. “And that makes me proud.”

The judge took the matter under consideration, saying she’ll have an offer officially ready for O’Connor and her lawyer by May 16.

Shannon O'Connor

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LOS GATOS AIMS TO SECURE CCS BERTH

Reinforcements arriving just in time

Emanuel Lee, Sports Editor Los Gatos High boys lacrosse coach Chris Nespor will be the first to tell you the Wildcats haven’t had the season they were hoping for.

However, with two matches left in the regular-season and a strong possibility of making the Central Coast Section playoffs, the Wildcats can be proud of overcoming a season of adversity and still having a strong possibility of extending their season.

If the Wildcats end up finishing in second place in the Pacific Coast Athletic League’s Gabilan Division, they will play the Mission Division champion for the league’s second automatic CCS playoff berth. If that happens, Los Gatos will have done it despite having two of their top players missing most of the season and various factors

such as a spate of injuries and having to replace over a half-dozen starters from the 2022 squad which has made it difficult to compete against the top teams in the section.

“Last year we graduated 18 seniors and that’s a big number in itself, but add in the fact that you had a fouryear starter at goalie, a four-year faceoff guy and the whole starting defense, that’s a lot of key pieces that needed replacing,” Nespor said.

“This year’s guys just needed more experience to get up to speed to the varsity level.”

Los Gatos entered the week 6-9 overall and 4-1 in league. The Wildcats are favored to beat Pacific Grove and Carmel before the regular-season finale against first-place Stevenson on May 5. They lost the first match to Stevenson by a 15-5 final, though it was just a one-score game at halftime.

“We kind of shot ourselves in the

foot [in the second half] so we’re excited for the rematch,” Nespor said. “We’ll have a chip on our shoulders for sure.”

By far the northernmost school in the Gabilan Division, Los Gatos had to find a new league after the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League decided to not support boys lacrosse for the 2023 season. The Wildcats applied to be a supplemental member school to a handful of leagues but the PCAL was the only one to pick them up.

Despite logging extended travel time for road games, Nespor felt fortunate to get picked up by the PCAL and not have to go independent this season.

“We’re lucky the PCAL brought us in and the competition level has been fine,” he said. “Travel-wise, we got the short end of the stick, but we’re happy to be in this league.”

Nespor said the team has been

led by players such as senior attack Colt Cali, junior attack Jack Baldwin and freshman defender Zach Otoupal. Cali leads the team in both goals and assists and draws plenty of attention from the opposition.

Baldwin has had more of a reserve role in the last two years but has come on strong this season, his third year on the varsity. Nespor said Baldwin has been explosive on draws and also draws a lot of attention.

Otoupal has made an immediate impact as a freshman, collecting ground balls at a prodigious rate and often causing turnovers which lead to fast break attacks in the offensive end.

“Zach has definitely been a really nice surprise and has scored multiple goals running the long stick,” Nespor said.

Concussions have limited two of the team’s top players Chase Hooper and Michael Hoffman to a handful of games this season. However, Nespor said Hoffman was expected to return against Aptos on April 20 and Hooper’s return could be imminent.

“Having those two guys back will be a big boost not just performance-wise but morale-wise as we are putting our best unit on the field,” Nespor said. “Chase is our main faceoff guy and good offensively and defensively. He can do it all.”

To underscore what the team has dealt with this season, it is down to its fourth goalie after the first three were lost either due to injury, academic ineligibility and other issues. Los Gatos had to look to its junior varsity roster and pulled up sophomore Alex Canning, who has done an admirable job as the new starter.

Canning had six saves in a 12-5 league crossover win over Hollister on April 13.

“We had to call an audible and go with Alex, and we’re lucky we have two JV goalies and were able to use one of them,” Nespor said.

Despite having a sub .500 overall record, the program is thriving in numbers with 32 players on the varsity and 26 on the junior varsity. For everything the team has had to deal with, it has stayed resolute and now has a probable playoff appearance upcoming.

‘We’ve still got a lot to play for,” Nespor said. “That’s always a good thing.”

Jonathan Natividad

ON THE RUN Wildcats sophomore Luke Goddard looks to make a play in their Pacific Coast Athletic League crossover game against Hollister on April 13. Los Gatos won, 12-5.

MAGIC IS IN THE AIR

LGCS softball has growth mindset

Emanuel Lee, Sports Editor

The Los Gatos-Cupertino-Saratoga (LGCS) Girls Softball Association is celebrating a milestone this season in its 30th year of existence.

To mark the occasion, the program’s premier fundraising event of 2023, Decades of Magic, will be held at the La Rinconada Country Club from 6-10pm on April 28. Tickets are $150 and includes food, drinks, entertainment and a silent and live auction.

All proceeds go to equipment, fields and the continued sustainability of the league in a greater San Jose metro area that is home to dozens of travel organizations. In celebrating current and past players, coaches, board members and supporters of the program, the event is also vital in promoting awareness of the league locally.

“This gala for us is really multifaceted,” LGCS President Nico Avlas said.

“We’re seeing a lot of new entrants into the sport after Covid, and our league has a lot of exposure in Los Gatos and is rising in Saratoga and Cupertino. We’re really trying to spread the word that softball is in these communities, and girls aged 5-12 should come out and play spring, summer and fall seasons.”

LGCS has an interesting back story. In 1992, a group of parents who ran the softball division of Los Gatos Little League decided it was time to break away and move under the umbrella of the American Softball Association (ASA).

LGCS Fastpitch Softball was formed in December of that year and in the spring of 1993 they had 300-plus registrants combined for the rec league and the program’s first-ever ASA travel team, the Magic. LGCS has a spring rec ball season at the 6-and-under, 8U, 10U and 12U age divisions.

From the spring ball season, the Magic teams are assembled for the more competitive summer travel season. Lisa Strauss and Kelly Vincelette

are original Magic players and now serve as coaches and members of the LGCS board.

In a neat twist, both of their fathers serve as assistant coaches for their respective teams. Strauss’ father, Bernard Greenfield, was the first president of the league. Strauss and Vincelette said the move to break away from Los Gatos Little League three decades ago had a lot to do with equity.

“Fighting for field time [with the baseball teams] was the big sticking point 30 years ago,” Strauss said. “That’s why the group wanted to go off on their own. The parents wanted to focus on the girls league and they needed that autonomy. It made a bunch of sense. The Little League fields are beautiful in Los Gatos, but it’s just not there for softball.”

LGCS uses fields at Blossom Hill Elementary School, Foothill Elementary in Saratoga, Monta Vista Park in Cupertino and Cupertino Memorial Park. For Vincelette, raising money and receiving support from the community sends a message and represents something greater.

“One of the things my daughter asks me is why are the fields so much nicer for the boys,” Vincelette said. “And this is the first time I think the league has a

real opportunity to raise money to make girls feel as special as the boys. They see it, they recognize it out there, and there’s still some things even for children we’re not doing equally and this is an opportunity to raise money for batting cages and making the fields nicer, which really affects girls not only in the short term playing but in the long term as they stand up as adults in the business world and other areas. That’s the biggest thing for me. I think this is a real opportunity for the community to stand up and support the league in a new way.”

LGCS is aiming to get batting cages installed at Foothill Elementary. Strauss and Vincelette said the late Charles Erekson was instrumental in the program joining ASA, and commended Avlas for his tireless dedication in helping update the fields as he looks to lead the organization into its next phase.

During the Decades of Magic event, the founders and leaders of the league will be recognized, and Avlas will talk about the state of the program and the future vision of the program.

A live and silent auction will feature such prizes as a trip to Cabo San Lucas and a lobster feed, among other things. The event is extremely important for Magic softball because fundraising is the lifeblood of any youth organization. LGCS has a goal to make its facilities top-notch and that takes a lot of time and resources.

“Our mission here is to really focus on elevating our infrastructure,” Avlas said. “Anything from the bleachers to the snack shack to the on-field equipment, updating the bleachers, to normalizing the competitive [aspects] of our league vs. other leagues in the area.”

Community support has come in the way of sponsors and ingenuity from examples such as Saratoga High junior Caitlin Weber, who led a project to renovate the snack shack at Foothill to fulfill a requirement for earning her Eagle Scout Badge.

For LGCS, there is a particular urgency to get things done.

“There are a lot of travel teams in the area and it got so wildly popular that we have to really step it up with the infrastructure and plan for the next 30 years,” Strauss said. “The time is now.”

Note: More information can be found at www.lgcsfastpitch.org.

TOURNEY TIME The LGCS Magic fastpitch 12U softball team, seen here at a tournament in Lake Tahoe in July 2022, is gearing up for their summer all star season.

‘FEMME TAKEOVER’ AT LUPIN LODGE

Mini-festival brings music, art, workshops to Los Gatos

Melisa Yuriar, Contributor

Musician-event producer Jordan Lipaz has lived in Santa Cruz for more than a decade. Originally producing events and makeshift gatherings for small crowds alongside a “rotating cast of characters” at house parties, open spaces and five-acre ranches in and around Santa Cruz, he is the founder of Lit N Loud Productions, along with business partner Shane Ciora who foresees operations and logistics of the young events company.

Lipaz aims to breathe life back into Santa Cruz’s nightlife and festival circuit while promoting inclusivity and sustainability with every event. Lit N Loud’s upcoming mini-festival campout is a showcase of local restaurants, talent and performers amidst the backdrop of Santa Cruz’s splendid flora.

Femme Takeover will unfold at Lupin Lodge across two stages and more than 200 acres of Los Gatos’ wilderness on April 29 and 30. Its well-rounded lineup of drum and bass headliners, hand-picked by Lipaz, includes Afrodisiac, Blissai, Ibarra, Jessiecat, Kaimera, Kristyle, IB & Konfusion, Meeshroom, Ratchael Beats, Trianna Feruza and Vyhara.

With plenty of surprises in store for attendees in the evening (yes, there will be a laser light show), Femme Takeover will also feature daytime workshops, including movement and yoga; specially curated art installations by local fine art gallery Vision Sanctuary; live mural painting by Erika Rosendale of the Made Fresh Crew; and aerial and dance performances by local artists Ava's Essence and Lael Marie.

The first prototype of the upcoming mini-festival originally took place at his home in Bonny Doon, Santa Cruz, according to the event producer. Aptly called the Bonny View Gathering, the event welcomed over 300 attendees and plenty of up-and-coming performers and musicians for a day full of good bites, games and festivities.

“When I was in the electronic music program at UCSC as a part of my minor, it was really easy to make those connections with musicians and DJs who wanted to get involved with local events…It became the easiest way to get people from the program onto stages,” he said.

Back in those days, though, Lipaz said local police were not very happy with the pop-up house parties and mini-festivals.

“We would get in trouble with law enforcement for having 200 people at our house and playing music for 24 hours because of zoning,” he said. “It wasn’t like we did anything wrong, there were never any noise complaints, they were just upset we were throwing

parties out of our house in a residential zone and not a commercial one.”

Now years later, Lipaz is implementing all of the expertise gleaned from throwing parties all through his early 20s to elevate his event production prowess. In 2021, post-pandemic, when venues and Santa Cruz nightlife opened their doors anew to welcome patrons back, Lit N Loud was founded.

“It’s been interesting. I do my best to steer the ship as captain, and with my co-captain Shane, and help from a handful of contractors and friends, we make it all work,” he said. Lipaz said the upcoming festival will be just as intentional and sustainable as his previous events have been.

“We will be using reusable foodware provided by Lupin Lodge and plan to use a generator that uses the least possible amount of gas possible,” he said. “We’re asking people to be mindful of their environmental footprint, carpool when possible and use as few plastic products as they can during their stay. The more we do events, the more we’ve

seen how important it is to prioritize sustainability.”

The joint operation has seen some success since its inception a few years ago. Their “Late Night Sessions” music series at Charley’s Bar and Grill continues to bring new talent and upcoming bass and dance artists, visuals and entertainment to downtown Los Gatos every month. At the heart of it all, says Lipaz, is community.

“Everyone involved in our productions is a friend. For Femme Takeover, we have people coming from the San Francisco Bay Area— Oakland, all around the East Bay— Santa Cruz, Monterey, and we even have one act flying out from Denver, Colorado,” he said. “We have guests flying in from Washington, Utah, Texas, and people driving up from Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo. We’re really excited to see everyone coming out to show their support for a festival like this.”

For tickets, visit lit-n-loud.ticketleap.com/fem-takover-part-ii.

COMMUNITY FESTIVAL Femme Takeover at Lupin Lodge on April 29 will feature a lineup of drum and bass headliners, along with daytime workshops, dance performances, art exhibits and more.

LOCAL SCENE

LOCAL STUDENTS AWARDED IN NATIONAL ART AND WRITING COMPETITION

Four students from Los Gatos and Saratoga high schools were among the recipients to be honored as 2023 National Scholastic Art & Writing Award Winners.

With more than 400,000 teen entries from across the United States and Canada, this competition is hailed as the country’s longest-running and most prestigious scholarship and recognition program for creative students in grades 7-12 in categories including architecture, painting, flash fiction, poetry, printmaking, science fiction and fantasy, and more.

The recipients are:

• Samika Agarwal, Grade 12, Saratoga High School, Title: “A Moment in Time,” Gold Medal and American Visions Medal

• Maithreyi Bharathi, Grade 11, Saratoga High School, Title, “peaches in july,” Gold Medal

• Michelle Ho, Grade 10, Saratoga High School, Title: “I create myself,” Gold Medal

• Ashir Rao, Grade 11, Los Gatos High School, Title: “New APs Announced!”, American Voices Medal

These national winners will be invited to participate in the Awards Ceremony, as well as inclusion in the National Exhibition and Scholastic Awards Traveling Exhibition, the annual anthology of award-winning teen writing, and the annual catalog of award-winning teen art.

In addition, Agarwal was awarded the American Visions Medal for her photographic piece, “A Moment in Time,” and Rao was awarded the American Voices Medal for his written work, “New APs Announced!”.

Both medals are only given to one nominee from each of the competition’s regions.

Also, several Los Gatos and Saratoga High School students were Gold Key, Silver Key and Honorable Mention regional winners, chosen from more than 4,800 submissions from the six-county Bay Area Region. The regional competition award recipients were announced by the Califor-

nia College of the Arts in San Francisco and presented by the nonprofit organization, the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers.

The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards were founded in 1923.

WALKING TOUR APP DEVELOPER TO SPEAK AT LIBRARY

Alan Feinberg, developer of the free mobile app “Discover LOST Gatos,” will speak on May 3, upstairs in the Los Gatos Library starting at 5pm.

His app offers three different self-guided walking tours of downtown, highlighting the people, places

and events that have shaped Los Gatos over the past 200 years.

An electrical engineer with a master’s degree in business, Feinberg relocated here 33 years ago from Concord, Mass., to work in the semiconductor software industry. He and his wife, Joan, fell in love with Los Gatos, especially its downtown, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

He became interested in the history of his adopted hometown and saw a need for a guide to its iconic buildings and the stories behind them, something similar to Boston’s self-guided “Freedom Trail“ walk. Not only would this benefit tourists, but it would also give residents a new look at their town.

“We need to build interest in our heritage before it’s lost or bulldozed. We need to treasure what’s left,” Feinberg said.

Instead of just a paper map and list of historic sites, Feinberg decided to develop a walking tour that offers an immersive Los Gatos history experience. So, in 2015, he joined with Peggy Conaway Bergtold, who wrote the historical content, and former mayor Sandy Decker to launch the app.

“It was a year-long labor of love and a gift to the community,” he said.

The app is available at the Apple App Store or Google Play.

MIX OF INDEPENDENT ARTISTS FEATURED AT SARATOGA FINE ARTS SHOW

More than 100 artists will descend on Saratoga May 6-7 for the Rotary Club of Saratoga’s annual Fine Arts Show.

The event is free to the public and serves as the largest fundraiser for the Saratoga Rotary Foundation, which supports grants to local non-profit organizations and the club's youth and community service programs.

According to event co-chair Carol Woodard, the timing of the Fine Arts Show is perfect because it happens right before major holidays such as Mother’s Day and graduation.

“Our show has such a wide variety of art, décor, textiles, jewelry and much more,” Woodard said. “It’s a great way for people to shop, enjoy a fun day out and support the community at the same time.”

In addition to the abundance of art, there will also be live music, a classic car show, food, beer and wine, artist workshops, and a Kid’s Corner with activities for kids of all ages.

This year, the show will also feature a lithium battery recycling program through Redwood Materials and ESRAG. Guests can check the list of devices accepted on the website and drop them off to be recycled at the event.

The Fine Arts Show has been in existence since 1957 and is the largest art event in the city of Saratoga.

The show will be held at West Valley College, 14000 Fruitvale Ave., from 10am to 5pm.

➝ saratogarotaryartshow.org

YOUNG ARTIST Saratoga High School Senior Apoorva Talwakar's original drawing, a Gold Key Award winner presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, was inspired by her close reading of “Beloved” by Toni Morrison.

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

‘THE SINATRA SHOW’

Golden Sight Productions presents “The Sinatra Show Comes to Maggiano’s Little Italy” on April 28. The event features Matt Hall, a vocalist and entertainer with the Dynamic Band Essence, performing Sinatra’s signature songs. The doors open at 6:30pm, dinner at 7pm. Show time is at 8pm. Maggiano’s Little Italy is located at Santana Row on 3055 Olin Ave. in San Jose. Tickets are $125 per person and includes entry, dinner and a show.

➝ bit.ly/3N9QZ6V.

GREAT RACE

The Rotary Club of Los Gatos’ 45th annual Great Race returns April 29 at Vasona Park. The event includes a one-mile kids run and a four-mile run. Register online by April 28 at lggreatrace.com. For information, call 408.472.9026 or email lggreatracedirector@gmail.com.

JUDY CARMICHAEL PERFORMANCE

The Los Gatos Concert Association presents pianist Judy Carmichael on April 30 at 2pm at the Los Gatos High School Theatre, 20 High School Court. Carmichael is one of the world’s leading interpreters of stride and swing piano. Her talents have taken her all over the world from Carnegie Hall to the Guggenheim Museum in Venice, Italy.

➝ lgcca.org.

SPRING FASHION SHOW

The Spring Fashion Show presented by the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce will be held May 6 from 11am to 1:30pm at The Palms, 115 N. Santa Cruz Ave. The event features fashions from local boutiques, brunch and bottomless mimosas.

Tickets $85 each, and a table of four is $340.

➝ losgatoschamber.com.

LOS GATOS HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME

The Los Gatos High School Athletic Hall of Fame will hold its 18th Induction Ceremony on May 6 at La Rinconada Country Club. This year’s inductees are: Jack Anti (Class of 1931), Dick Whiteman (1951), Bob McArthur (1964), Jeff Robinson (1975), Karen Freedman Thompson (1978), A.J. Matthews (1982), Samantha Copenhaver Van Devender (1983), Virginia Fritsch (2003) and Kiko Alonso (2008). The reception begins at 5pm, followed by the dinner at 6:45pm and ceremony at 8pm.

➝ tinyurl.com/2023lghshalloffame.

‘MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE’ SCREENING BENEFIT

The Veterans Memorial and Support Foundation will host an evening at the CineLux Los Gatos Theatre on July 19

for the premier showing of the new movie “Mission: Impossible.” It will start at 7pm and the cost will be a $50 donation to the Veterans Foundation.

➝ bit.ly/4183sMr.

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.

SWING Jazz pianist and vocalist Judy Carmichael will wrap up the Los Gatos Concert Association’s 2022-23 season on April 30.

ONE OF THE NATION’S TOP WINE & FOOD FESTIVALS

REAL ESTATE HOME OF THE WEEK

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

SONOMA COUNTY WINES | COMPLIMENTARY FOOD TRUCKS

TRANQUIL MOUNTAIN LIVING

This Los Gatos home sits among the redwoods in the Lake Canyon community.

fice and a large balcony overlooking the private yard.

Tell your 2023 grad just how proud you are of their accomplishment with a keepsake graduation ad & photo. They will treasure this for a lifetime. We will run a 1/8 page color ad that includes their graduation photo in Los Gatan’s June 7 Graduation edition.

Cost is $89

Just email us the following information at Serenity@weeklys.com:

1. Graduate’s name & school graduating from

2. Photo (graduation photo or cute family photo of the graduate)

3. Text/Salutation (up to 22 max number of words)

4. Don’t forget to include the names of those extending their good wishes.

5. Please include your name, address & phone number so Serenity Polizzi can call you to confirm how you want the ad to look.

Once we recieve your email Serenity will then contact you to go over the information to refine it for you.

If you have any questions on this, please don’t hesitate to email us your contact phone number at Serenity@weeklys.com, as well.

Located at 19220 Beardsley Road, the 1,372-square-foot home includes three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

The home is equipped with a bonus room, open floor plan, vaulted ceilings in the living room, fireplace, electric vehicle charging, detached studio/of-

The fully fenced 0.65-acre lot offers landscaped grounds, workshop area, a driveway with ample parking, plus a gated area.

The home, built in 1930, is listed at $998,888 by Coldwell Banker Realty. For information, visit bit.ly/3UYI61N.

BEARDSLEY ROAD This Los Gatos home is immersed in nature.

SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM IN LOS GATOS

The team that launched the original Los Gatos Weekly has come together once again to give the town the quality of journalism it needs. News about local people, school sports and vital community issues will fill the pages of thislocal publication –and a live web site. Los Gatos deserves real reporting.

lgsubs.com

Event Room Rental

Prices between $800 - $3,000

Accommodates 30 to 180 persons

Rental includes setup, tables, chairs, and tablecloths

Hotel Room Discounts offered Bar Service Available

Displays/Projector Available Bocce Ball Court

Outside catering required

LosGatosLodge.com

408.354.3300

Public Notice

Notice is hereby given

that on May 30, 2023, at 9:00 am, or as soon thereafter as the matter may be heard, in Department 6 of the Santa Clara County Superior, located at 191 North First Street, San Jose, CA 95113, Petitioner Metro Publishing, Inc. intends to apply for an order, pursuant to California Government Code §§ 6000 and 6020, declaring Los Gatan to be a newspaper of general circulation for the County of Santa Clara, State of California. Remote appearance information can be found online at www.scscourt.org

50 Los Gatos-Saratoga Rd. at Hwy 17 lgsubs.com

MushroomMusic MushroomMusic MushroomMusic MushroomMusic

May 27, 2023

Saturday 4:30pm – 10pm

Downtown Morgan Hill Amphitheater 17000 Monterey Road, Morgan Hill

Admission Includes Meal and Drink Ticket

$75 Individual ticket

$70 per ticket for 4 or more

$65 per ticket for 8 or more

Gates Open at 4:30pm

Enjoy a Night of Music, Dancing, Food and Drinks Under the Stars

Tables available for seating or bring your own chairs/blankets to sit on the grass

Multiple Food Trucks available onsite for a wide variety of delicious food choices

Beer, Wine & Champagne

Event is 21+ to attend. No outside food or drinks allowed. No in and out privileges.

Joe Sharino Band

7:45pm – 9:45pm

Shane Dwight 5:30pm – 7pm

The Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras, Inc. Presents