Los Gatan June 28 2023

COMMUNITY MEETING, CONCESSIONS WIN OVER SHANNON ROAD RESIDENTS

Town was worried about losing $1M in green grants

Drew Penner, Reporter

Los Gatos has been trying to hang on to environmental grants for a bike path along Shannon Road while still appeasing neighbors who didn't support the designs and felt like the Town hadn’t been listening to their concerns.

The Town had secured a federal $940,100 Vehicle Emissions Reductions Based at Schools gift and a Transportation Fund for Clean Air offer worth $174,250.

Local planners managed to get the deadlines extended (to Jan. 31, for the former and to the following June 30, for the latter), and, after outcry from local residents (who felt the plan removed a rural feel from the route by taking away greenspace, among other grievances), Los Gatos organized a community meeting.

The bill for the June 1 meeting was stacked with top planning brass: Nicolle Burnham, the director of public works, Gary Heap, the new town engineer, Mike Vroman, senior traffic engineer, Tracy Wang, transportation and mobility manager, Janice Chin, assis➝ Road, 4

COUNCIL INTRODUCES PLAN TO OUTLAW HIDDEN GUNS IN ‘SENSITIVE’ PLACES

Anti-gun-violence advocates, gun rights proponents both support concealed carry ordinance

Drew Penner, Reporter

On June 20, Los Gatos introduced an ordinance that would prohibit concealed carry permit holders from bringing their firearms to specific places around town.

But in contrast with the hardline positions staked-out on both sides of the gun debate across the United States— with National Rifle Association members claiming guns in classrooms would help solve things and progressives deriding mental health as the primary causal factor in shooting sprees—here in Los Gatos, ev➝ Council, 6

COMING SOON A worker at CineLux Theatres in downtown Los Gatos updates the marquee recently to let passersby know what’s playing at the theater. To see more scenes of daily life in Los Gatos, follow @LosGatan on Twitter.

Drew Penner/Los Gatan

Wonderfully remodeled Cambrian ranch style home located in a lovely neighborhood close to parks and Princeton Plaza. New kitchen with white shaker cabinets, quartz counter tops, stainless steel sink, stainless steel appliances, gas range/oven, a new vent hood, dishwasher, refrigerator, and recessed lighting. Formal living/dining room with a wood burning fireplace. New high end luxury vinyl flooring. New carpeting in all bedrooms. Updated tiled surfaced baths, new vanity, new mirrors, and fixtures. New hardware and lighting throughout. Inside laundry. Freshly painted interior and exterior. New baseboards throughout. Two car garage. New front landscaping and sprinklers. Updated back yard landscaping. Large corner lot. Highly desirable Cambrian schools. SOLD OVER LIST AND WITH MULTIPLE OFFERS

GEARING UP FOR FOURTH OF JULY FESTIVITIES

Many events happening in Los Gatos and beyond

Alia Arafeh, Contributor

Get ready for barbecue, apple pie and fireworks, because the Fourth of July is just around the corner.

While it can be fun to celebrate this holiday in your own backyard, Independence Day also provides a great excuse to get into town—or perhaps even venture out further. There are many events starting back up following pandemic closures in the Los Gatos area that offer fun for families, and whoever wants to have a patriotic blast on a hot summer day.

Right at home, the Town of Los Gatos is hosting an event at Oak Meadow Park from 11am to 3:30pm. The San Jose Wind Symphony, guest conducted by Dr. Troy Davis, is set to begin playing at 1pm. Along with a flag raising, expect the usual Vasona Lake County Park attractions, such as the Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad, snack shop and views.

Admission is free, but parking is limited. Guests are advised to bring

their own lawn chairs, wear sunscreen and drink plenty of water. After all, meteorologists say it’s going to be a warm one.

Heading out of town—but still in proximity—the 8th Annual Fourth of July Fireworks Festival at Almaden Lake Park is only about a 15-minute drive outside of Los Gatos and also features plenty of games for kids, live music, food and more. The event starts at 3pm and the fireworks show starts around 9:15pm. Admission is free, aside from the purchase of food and drinks within the park.

People often go to Communications Hill to get a good view. However, the residential area gets quite crowded every year, so be mindful of the traffic. And remember to be respectful of the people who live in the neighborhood.

If you’d like to burn some calories before your big dinner, the Santa Cruz Rotary Club is hosting the Firecracker, a race that starts and ends in the Harvey West Park. There are three race lengths: a 1K for kids, which starts at 8am; a 5K that begins at 8:40pm; and a 10K that starts at 8:30pm. Admission for the races is

$20, $40 and $45, respectively.

This is the 38th annual Firecracker and proceeds go to Girls Inc. of the Central Coast, a nonprofit organization that focuses on empowering young women. The 10K route features a section in Pogonip Park, as well a jaunt along a meadow by the University of California, Santa Cruz.

For those who are willing to head to San Francisco, the traditional fireworks show, which can be seen from the Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39, starts at 9:30pm. In contrast to the events happening in the daytime, guests are advised to dress warmly, as the weather gets cold and windy after the sun sets.

These are just a few of the many parades, fireworks displays and unique gatherings within striking distance. Other possibilities include a block party in Boulder Creek, parades in the North Bay and the annual San Francisco Symphony performance and fireworks show at Shoreline Amphitheatre. Regardless of where you’re planning to celebrate, remember to wear lots of sunscreen, drink water and account for traffic. Stay safe, have fun and celebrate mindfully.

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SYMPHONY IN THE PARK The San Jose Wind Symphony will perform at a Fourth of July event at Oak Meadow Park.

COUNCIL APPROVES SHANNON ROAD MODIFICATIONS

Road, from page 1

tant civil engineer, Corvell Sparks, assistant civil engineer and Meredith Johnston, administrative technician.

The Town’s presentation included colorful pictures of trees—Chinese pistache, Shumard oak and red maple—that could be planted, and went into detail about proposed buffer concessions.

Leading up to the meeting, residents had been expressing their dismay at earlier concepts.

One even said they’d lost sleep over the issue.

But just hours after the get-together, the Shannon Road community began to sing a different tune.

At 3:15am, Ryan Rosenberg fired off an email thanking Burnham and Heap for hearing them out.

“It was a pleasure to meet both of you tonight at the Shannon Road

project meeting,” he said. “Both of you showed a great demeanor tonight.”

However, he still requested a reduced bike buffer, asking for it to be dropped down to two feet.

Los Gatos has been seeking to roll out improved pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure on the collector street that serves three nearby schools.

And some Council members, including Mayor Maria Ristow—an avid cyclist—have been eager to see upgrades realized.

An early concept included bollards, which some people in the area didn’t find to their aesthetic taste. While these—which have been used to great effect in other parts of town—haven’t part of the project for months, they remained a symbol, for some, of how the Town had seemed, to them, to be pursuing a green agenda without be-

ing flexible to the needs of the people who actually inhabit the area.

But the day after the meeting, it was clear planners had turned a corner, and the bollard issue was now in the rearview mirror.

Helen Sun was pleased with the vegetation in the new plans.

“I want to thank the town engineers for working hard to produce the updated plans and options,” she wrote. “I think all residents can agree that it is amazing to see the green/tree spaces added.”

Mark Bony said the community meeting was “well organized” and “had great engagement” from attendees.

On June 20, Council was presented with a report that included earlier choices and a new possibility.

The so-called “Modified Option 1” kept sidewalks at five feet, reduced the bike lane from six feet to five, dropped

the painted bike buffer from three feet (as proposed in a couple of the designs) to 18 inches (Option 1, which many residents preferred, had no buffer for cyclists), offered a 3-4-foot strip of vegetation, provided parking spaces on the south side of the street, and introduced a six-inch buffer next to property lines.

“This Modified Option 1 attempts to meet the requests of the Shannon Road residents and other community members while still meeting the Town Council’s direction,” Heap said. “I think this is kind of an effort here to show what we can do when we get Council direction, we get community input, and come up with a plan that meets both needs. It balances good engineering design and community interest, provides bike lanes and sidewalk—as in the original plans—maximizes the placement of trees (which was a Council directive), reduces that bike lane buffer to minimum standards, and, again, based on the requests from the community, provides that six-inch buffer at the back of walk.”

Construction is expected to begin in Spring 2024.

Several residents waited hours for the item to come up at Council, and when they spoke, they shared positive comments.

Ristow thanked staff for their hard work, and, in particular, for holding a public meeting that was clearly quite helpful.

“And I do want to thank the residents for, you know, trying to understand what could be done on your street, but also for wanting to preserve what you had, and wanting to find a better outcome,” she said. “I will say, frankly, I received some really angry emails, but every person I met with in person was respectful. And even when we didn’t agree, we understood what we were talking about. And I think it was a great learning experience for everyone.”

Ristow said she still believes that bollards make a lot of sense for larger roads, and she admitted that just removing this feature from the Shannon Road design wasn’t enough to assuage residents' concerns, as Town officials had originally assumed.

“We were wrong,” she said. “Hopefully we’ve learned a lot, so any other project starts out a lot more smoothly.”

A motion to approve Modified Option 1 was approved unanimously just before midnight.

RESIDENTIAL STREET Shannon Road will undergo a makeover in 2024.

Drew Penner/Los Gatan

POLICE BLOTTER

JUNE 18

• A home was reportedly burglarized on Viewfield Road.

• A man blocking the entrance to a business on Los Gatos Boulevard was reportedly threatening to fight employees and customers at 8am.

• A vehicle was reportedly vandalized on Villa Avenue.

• An electric bicycle was reportedly stolen on Amanda Lane.

JUNE 19

• A vehicle was reportedly vandalized on Blossom Hill Road.

• Grand theft was reported at a business on N. Santa Cruz Avenue.

• A juvenile reportedly shot two others in the legs with a BB gun on Garden Hill Drive at 7:20pm.

JUNE 20

• A man was arrested for contempt of court on the 15900 block fo Los Gatos Boulevard at 4:42am.

• A caller reported someone was using their trash can to dump their garbage into on Cooper Court.

• A caller reported vehicles doing donuts on High School Court at 10:01pm, but “refused to answer more questions.”

• People were reported for “talking and being loud” in a park on Carlton Avenue at 11:55pm.

JUNE 21

• Four people were reportedly trying to sell bulldog puppies on the corner of N. Santa Cruz and Bean avenues at 3:14pm.

• Battery was reported on W. La Chiquita Avenue at 7:53pm.

• A man was arrested for petty theft and being under the influence of a controlled substance on Los Gatos-Almaden Road and Union Avenue at 10:49pm.

JUNE 22

• A vehicle was reported stolen on Los Gatos Boulevard.

• A vehicle was reportedly burglarized on University Avenue and Blossom Hill Road.

JUNE 23

• A man was arrested for being in possession of unlawful paraphernalia on Harlow and Gilda ways at 12:46am.

• A man was arrested for impersonation and obstructing an officer on Camden Avenue and Hicks Road at 5:23am.

JUNE 24

• A man was arrested for selling fireworks and causing a fire on Los Gatos Boulevard and Burton Road at 12:05pm.

JUNE 25

• A vehicle was reportedly burglarized on Garden Hill Drive.

• Two juveniles riding electric bicycles on Bachman Avenue were reportedly shooting signs with an air soft gun.

• A caller reported children for being at Bachman Park at 10:33pm.

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

TOWN TAKES ‘CONSERVATIVE’ APPROACH

Council, from page 1

eryone seemed to appreciate the new rules being proposed.

According to State law, police chiefs can issue concealed carry licenses to firearm owners, and the Town already has an ordinance that outlines how that works.

However, in 2022, the Supreme Court stated, in State of New York vs. Bruen, that it’s unlawful to include a “good cause” requirement for obtaining a concealed carry license, Town Attorney Gabrielle Whelan said.

It also ruled municipalities can pro-

hibit concealed carry firearms in “sensitive” places.

Los Gatos has taken a “conservative” approach by only including places that have already been upheld by the courts, the Town Attorney said, noting this includes places of worship, polling places, government buildings, schools and public transit.

The Town has already been dealing with 11 parties who are interested in getting a concealed carry license, Whelan said.

Mayor Maria Ristow asked about

why hospitals weren’t considered a sensitive place in the local ordinance.

Whelan said the Southern Californian city of Glendale tried to adopt a more expansive ordinance and is now caught up in a legal fight, whereas the places Los Gatos picked have all been affirmed through court decisions.

Ristow said she was OK with that.

“To my mind it’s important to get something in-place, and not to be spending the next six months in litigation, but to move forward with something we feel can happen,” she said. “I appreciate that approach.”

Heidi Owens, a Los Gatos mother of two girls who’s a member of Mothers Demand Action, said she was in favor of what Los Gatos was considering.

Gun violence has become a normal topic of conversation at Los Gatos schools, she told Council members during public comment, recalling a conversation she had in the wake of one campus shooting in America (although there’s been so many, she said she couldn’t remember which).

“I remember standing outside of kindergarten talking to other moms about the merits of bulletproof backpacks,” she said. “It’s just sad that that’s the way it is in our country right now.”

With political dysfunction the order of the day at the federal level and slow progress at the state level, local action is critical, she added.

“Don’t underestimate your ability to lead on this, or any other issue,” she said. “I think approving this will have more influence than you realize.”

Another MDA member, Erica Mittelhauser, said she, too, was encouraged to see Los Gatos bring such an ordinance to the floor.

“I would like us as a community to do what we can to protect the public and our citizens,” she said. “In addition, I’m hopeful that this topic will lead to further discussion, in particular on the possibility of a safe storage ordinance, like our neighboring towns and cities have, including Monte Sereno.”

Marie Rector, a 20-year employee of Los Gatos High School, said this move by Council will help positively distinguish the community.

“It’s with great pride that I’m watching you consider this ordinance, because taking the lead in something like this in our town is just one more example of how we lead, how we step forward and do the right thing, for our students and our population,” she said. “I’m very proud of the Town. I encourage you to move forward with this ordinance.”

Jared Ajlouny, a Los Gatos resident, said he hadn’t been planning on speaking on the item, but after seeing some of the comments in the public record he wanted to share about his experience going through the “carrying a concealed weapon” process in Santa Clara County.

“I was recently approved for CCW in Santa Clara County—through the County,” he said. “The process is pretty thorough. There’s an interview with the Sheriff’s Office. You have a DOJ, FBI background check, a psych test and evaluation, 16 hours of training, a shooting proficiency test, and the total costs were over $1,000.”

He said he wouldn’t be against the Town following that sort of procedure, and told the Los Gatan he was happy with the local ordinance.

“It’s not like everybody’s getting a CCW,” he said during public comment. “It’s a lot of work to go through the process.”

The Town Attorney told Council there will be a requirement for a mental evaluation and for training.

During his comments, Ajlouny said it seemed, to him, like Los Gatos was duplicating certain elements already in-place on a regional level.

He bookended his input with this:

“Unfortunately, idealism and reality are two different things,” he said. “Law-abiding citizens follow laws; criminals do not.”

Fred Faltersack, a Los Gatos resident of 37 years, also spoke to the gun rights angle.

“I wasn’t planning on speaking here either,” he began. “I just wanted to briefly say that I feel I am also representing moms and dads who demand action for common gun sense in America.”

The ability for law-abiding citizens to conceal carry and to be present “—at wherever it may be determined legal, whether it be churches, schools, in public places,” is common sense and will save lives, he said.

Faltersack confirmed with the Los Gatan that he was happy with the Los Gatos approach.

Mittelhauser also said she was pleased with the outcome, also.

It still needs to be confirmed with another vote at a future meeting.

“I’m very happy about how amenable Los Gatos Council was to introducing the ordinance,” she said on her way out of the building. “Common sense prevails.”

PUBLIC COMMENT Jared Ajlouny of Los Gatos said the process to obtain a concealed carry license is “pretty thorough” through the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office.

Drew Penner/Los Gatan

SUSPENSION OF OUTDOOR BURN PERMITS SET TO TAKE EFFECT

Victoria Franco, Bay City News

Cal Fire announced Monday the suspension of all burn permits for outdoor residential burning in Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa counties as well as western portions of Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties that will take effect Friday.

The agency said an abundant grass crop resulting from a wet winter is starting to dry out because of winds and warming temperatures.

High volumes of dead grass and hotter and drier conditions in the regions have increased the fire danger, Cal Fire said.

“This suspension takes effect June 30, 2023, and bans all residential outdoor burning of landscape debris such as branches and leaves,” the agency said in a news release.

According to Cal Fire, since the beginning of the year firefighters across the state have responded to more than 1,900 wildfires that burned over 6,700 acres.

Other areas such as Napa and Solano counties were given the burn notice suspension last week.

FROZEN FRUIT PRODUCTS VOLUNTARILY RECALLED

Bay City News

Frozen fruit products including cherries and blueberries sold at six major retailers have been voluntarily recalled for possible Listeria contamination, the Food and Drug Administration shared on its website June 21.

The products, sold at Walmart, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Target and Aldi stores, were voluntarily recalled by Sunrise Growers Inc.,

However, the suspension of burn permits for residential landscape debris does not apply to campfires that are within organized campgrounds or on private property.

George Huang, the Santa Clara Unit Chief, said in a statement that residents should get ready by creating or maintaining 100 feet of defensible space around their home by removing all dead or dying grass and bush.

Restricted temporary burning permits may be issued if an essential reason is provided due to public health and safety, the agency said.

“Agriculture, land management, fire training and other industrial type burning may proceed if a Cal Fire official inspects the burn site and issues a special permit,” the news release stated.

Tips to prepare residential homes and properties for the fire season include landscaping with fire resistant plants and non-flammable ground cover and finding alternative ways to dispose of landscape debris such as chipping or hauling it to a biomass energy or green waste facility.

a subsidiary of global natural food company SunOpta Inc. The company's announcement of the recall was shared on the FDA website.

The products are linked to pineapple provided by a third-party supplier, the company said.

There is a potential for the products to be linked to Listeria monocytogenes contamination, which can cause infections in people, the FDA said.

The announcement instructed consumers to check their freezers for the recalled product, not to consume it and either discard the product or return it to the store for a full refund.

Consumers seeking information may email recall@sunrisegrowers. com or call 888.490.5591 Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm. Detailed information is also available on the FDA website.

Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

CALIFORNIA RECEIVES $1.8B TO EXPAND BROADBAND ACCESS

Lydia Sidhom, Bay City News

California was awarded more than $1.8 billion in federal funding to expand access to affordable, high-speed internet in the state, U.S. senators Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla announced on Monday.

Approximately one in five Californians lacks access to reliable and affordable high-speed internet, Feinstein said in the announcement.

The funding comes out of the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment, or BEAD, program, which is a federal grant program that aims to get all Americans online.

BEAD prioritizes areas and communities with Americans that have little to no internet access.

“Access to high-speed Internet is essential infrastructure, but for too long, low-income and underserved communities have been shut out of educational and economic opportunities due to a lack of affordable and reliable access to internet,” Padilla said in the announcement.

In a speech on Monday, President Joe Biden stated that these communities include “rural communities like Appalachia. It includes Tribal lands from Alas-

ka to the Dakotas, coastal towns from Hawaii to the Pacific Northwest. It also includes suburban communities, even cities, neighborhoods.”

California alone has received a total of more than $6.9 billion from the federal government to date for broadening access to broadband.

In addition to attempting to bridge the digital equity gap, the program aims to create manufacturing jobs deploying fiber and using materials made in America.

The Biden-Harris administration is dedicating $43.4 billion to the BEAD program to build infrastructure that will increase internet access across the country as a part of their Internet for All initiative.

The BEAD program is funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which has allocated more than $220 billion to infrastructure projects across the nation. More than 35,000 infrastructure projects across the country are funded or underway due to the law, including a grant to retrofit San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge for earthquake readiness.

“These transformative investments will help address this equity gap and ensure that all Californians—regardless of zip code—can remain connected,” Padilla said.

The federal government will connect every person in America to reliable highspeed internet by 2030, Biden stated.

Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

POLICE CONFISCATE REVOLVER AFTER ARRESTING MAN

Alia Arafeh, Contributor

Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department officers confiscated a firearm, Saturday, following a traffic stop where police drew their guns in the arrest of a suspect.

The San Jose Police Department shared information about a vehicle it said was connected to a man suspected of pointing a gun at another person in San Jose. They sent out a “be on the lookout” alert at 9:44pm and police located the vehicle in Los Gatos at 10pm.

The vehicle was found with the help of an automated license plate reader system, Katherine Mann, a spokesperson for LGMSPD, told the Los Gatan.

Police conducted a high-risk traffic stop, which is when “commands are

CALIFORNIA TALKS NEXT STEPS AFTER CONSERVING 631K ACRES IN ONE YEAR

Olivia Wynkoop, Bay City News

California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot on June 21 shared California's progress on the 30X30 plan, a goal to protect 30% of the state's land and coastal waters by 2030.

California has preserved nearly 1,000 square miles of land and sea in the first year it implemented the benchmark goal in 2022, according to a recent report.

In recent years, California also took to the global stage to encourage the world's nations to protect biodiversity. Since then, 190 countries have embraced the same metrics in an international conservation agreement.

Much of California's 30x30 strategy bolsters partnerships between participating community groups, non-profit organizations, tribes, landowners, government agencies and others.

The hope is to restore biodiversity, expand access to nature and mitigate the effects of climate change, all while protecting an additional 6 million acres of land and 500,000 acres of coastal water in the next seven years.

30x30 strategists estimate that California has preserved 24.4% of lands and 16.3% of coastal waters as of May 2023.

California Natural Resources Agency Deputy Secretary for Biodiversity and Habitat, Dr. Jennifer Norris, said defining what exactly counts toward the 30% is “probably the most difficult part” of the plan. She said land and coastal water areas have to be “durably protected and managed” so functional ecosystems—both intact and restored—can be sustained.

National parks and wildlife reserves may be the first examples that come to mind, but many open spaces, recreational lands and particular forest grazing lands can also count toward the definition.

“We have this 30% that's sort of a special kind of conservation, but important work to protect biodiversity, to address climate change and to give access to nature happens on many other lands as well,” said Norris.

Juan Rosas of the Hispanic Access Foundation Conservation Program said it is important to advocate for conservation in communities that disproportionately have little access to a clean environment and open spaces, like the Latino community. He stressed the importance of making nature accessible in a culturally relevant way.

provided to the driver, and any passengers if present, to exit the vehicle while the officers have their guns out,” Mann said. In this case, the vehicle pulled over without the use of weapons and complied with police commands.

“This is usually for cases involving stolen vehicles, guns or other weapons,” the official said, adding this approach is used, as well, for certain in-progress crimes.

Officers conducted a traffic stop and discovered a revolver hidden under the front passenger seat, according to a LGMSPD Instagram post. There were no other people in the vehicle.

A man in his 40s was taken into custody, the police spokesperson said.

The LGMSPD turned the case back over to the SJPD, since it was their case initially.

Crowfoot said that California leaders are looking toward the preservation and restoration of California's biodiversity as an important role in protecting communities from climate change. Preserving the state’s diverse wildlife and plant species is also an opportunity to make nature more accessible and rewrite historical wrongs against tribal communities, he said.

“Increasingly, there has been a reckoning around people, land and nature,” Crowfoot said.

He said that the state is working on grant programs to make it possible for tribal communities to reclaim their territory. The Tribal Nature-Based Solutions Program, which will likely launch later this year, will provide tribes with $100 million for land-back and stewardship projects.

“We're fighting hard to make sure that the immediate Hispanic community and everyone has access to green space, clean, safe, clean space, for their recreation for mental, physical and spiritual health,” Rosas said.

In the Bay Area, a group of 70 organizations, local tribes and public agencies are working together to boost resiliency of communities and their lands in a coalition called Together Bay Area. Executive Director Annie Burke said 30x30 gives her hope because “it's a tailwind instead of a headwind.”

“That doesn't mean that all the details and all the things are perfectly figured out and there's not a dialed plan for all the things,” she said. “What it means is that we're all using the same language and moving in the same direction and figuring it out together. And that gives me a lot of hope.”

Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

MOVE AWAY FROM THE ‘WATERFALL EFFECT’

Jeffrey P. Blum, Contributor

Volunteers know it is difficult to accomplish change. When I sought along with several others to get a Restorative Justice program implemented at a Los Gatos school, I initially encountered great enthusiasm for the idea. Unfortunately, this enthusiasm was followed by inaction on the part of the school’s administrators, requests for more information, and indications that higher ups needed to approve the project. The program was never implemented. Frustrated by the delays, long periods of silence from the administrators and late-in-the-game roadblocks placed in our way, our experienced group of mediators moved on.

Similarly, I sometimes face barriers when challenging policies as a commissioner on the Community Health and Senior Services Commission. I understand what Robert’s Rules of Order is about. However, I believe in having and exercising some discretion when it appears appropriate. Although I am the commission chair, I’ve been met with resistance when I sought to place items relevant to our commission on our agenda. I’ve also occasionally encountered resistance when seeking pertinent information and been rebuffed when requesting meetings with leaders of organizations we oversee.

I decided to better educate myself at policy processes and implementation by reading a book titled “Recoding America: Why Government is Failing

In the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better,” by Jennifer Pahlka.

Ms. Pahlka is founder of Code For America and a former U.S. deputy chief technology officer in the Obama administration. Her book is a nonpartisan call for action that equally criticizes Democrats and Republicans while offering concrete suggestions for improving how our government creates and implements policy.

Ms. Pahlka describes what she terms the “waterfall effect.” It is a hierarchal system involving policy makers at the top who impose mandates that are often thousands of pages long. These mandates meander downstream to states, local governments, administrators, and to outside high-

tech companies, the latter of whom often wish to complicate things so that they may ask for more money. These downstreamers have little or no voice in how these mandates arose, and how to successfully implement policies. At this downstream level, the main incentive is to go by the book. Otherwise, the implementers may suffer loss of lucrative contracts, loss of a job, legal consequences for not following the mandates, or in the case of the governmental entity, a denial of funds.

Ms. Pahlka describes several governmental failures, including the tur moil involved at California’s Employ ment Development Department.

She co-led a “Strike Team” deployed during the pandemic, as benefit de lays and stories of fraud arose. State officials found that payments were delayed to millions of workers and may have been improperly denied for another million. Meanwhile, the state lost billions of dollars to fraud.

Ms. Pahlka discusses why it was easi er for scammers to file successful unemployment applications than it was for some workers, how a multimillion-dollar modernization project by a contractor essentially collapsed, and why the uproar about outdated online systems has more to do with flawed state and federal policy than old software.

She explains that government is constrained by a rigid, Industrial-era culture, in which elites dictate policy, while being disconnected from and oftentimes disdainful of the details of implementation. Goals transform as they cascade through the complex waterfall hierarchy.

Recoding government involves rationalizing and simplifying the policy and process it supports. It means looking at the user’s (ie; the citizenry’s) experience, training product technology experts who can look at proposed policies before they are mandated and determine the technological and practical impacts of the proposed policies, and giving those expected to implement the policies flexibility in interpreting the policies so they may fulfill the goal of helping those in need.

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

LG TRACK CLUB ATHLETES LIVE OUT A DREAM

Five runners compete at storied Hayward Field

Emanuel Lee, Sports Editor Hayward Field at the University of Oregon is regarded as the nation’s track and field mecca. The venue hosted the 2022 World Athletics Championships and is the most often used site for the U.S. Championships, including this year’s edition July 6-9.

Five athletes competing for the

Los Gatos Track Club Aydon Stefanopoulos, Brady Kamali, Jake Bohane, Levi Romero and Wil Brennan got to live out a dream when they ran in the Nike Outdoor Nationals June 15-18.

Brennan, Kamali and Romero are all recent Los Gatos High graduates, Bohane is an incoming senior and Stefanopoulos an incoming junior. Brennan, Bohane, Kamali and Romero finished second in the boys champion-

ship division 4x400 meter relay race in 3 minutes, 18.94 seconds.

Stefanopoulos placed 20th in a PR of 4:13.03 in the boys championship one mile race. Romero said just being able to experience the sights and sounds of the storied Hayward Field was something he’ll never forget.

“Entering the stadium was mind blowing,” he said. “It was crazy seeing all of the different facilities they had there, I’ve never seen anything like it.

Usually a setup like that would only be for football, so it was cool seeing a place like that designated for track and field. The place was amazing, the whole place was beautiful. It was really like a dream come true to race at that stadium. Not everyone gets to do it so it was amazing to be given that opportunity.”

Brennan and Romero actually competed in the open 400 meter championship division race the day before the

FAB 4 Los Gatos Track Club athletes Levi Romero, Brady Kamali, Wil Brennan and Jake Bohane finished in second place in the boys 4x400 meter relay championship division race in the Nike Outdoor Nationals June 18 in Oregon.

relay event, with Brennan finishing 17th in 48.85 seconds and Romero 22nd in 49.10. Kamali and Bohane competed in the 400 emerging elite division, with Kamali placing 18th in 50.69 seconds and Bohane 26th in 51.44.

While none of the quartet came close to hitting a PR in the open 400 or relay races, it was somewhat expected given they were coming off a long high school season and they peaked for the CIF State Championships in the final weekend of May.

“We weren't expecting to PR or anything,” Romero said. “We just wanted to go out there and do our best, go out one last time and be able to race with each of our teammates. It was a wonderful experience, more about placement than time. That was our mindset going into it. I’m satisfied with our results. I feel we did well. It was an enjoyable experience.”

In addition to his PR in the mile, Stefanopoulos was 18th in the two mile race in 9:13.28. The distance ace is up for a huge honor as one of three candidates for the MileSplitCA Sophomore Boys Athlete of the Year.

MileSplit is one of California’s premier track and field media outlets and earning any AOY award from them is a high-achieving honor. Stefanopoulos placed fourth in the state finals in the 3200 meters in 8:57.99 the No. 5 time among all sophomores in the nation this past year and was eighth in the 1600 in 4:10.55, the No. 8 time for the class of 2025 runners.

One of California’s best 1600-3200 combo runners has two years remaining and should Stefanopoulos’ health

hold form, there’s no telling how many more spectacular races he’ll produce. A state title isn’t out of the question, either, which will be truly historic because there have been only a handful of boys out of the Central Coast Section to win one of the distance events in CIF State Championship history. For the recently graduated trio of

Brennan, Kamali and Romero, they’ll rest a bit before resuming training again for the college indoor track and field season. Kamali will compete at Tufts University in Massachusetts while close friends Brennan and Romero will continue to be teammates, this time at Cal Poly.

“It’s going to be really exciting, a

dream come true,” Romero said. “Me and Wil talked about this at the beginning of the season. We made it our goal to both go to a D-I school and we were kind of joking around saying to each other it would be cool if we ended up at the same school. So it’s really amazing what we did and seeing this dream come to reality.”

RUNNER Los Gatos Track Club athlete Aydon Stefanopoulos competed in the boys one mile and two mile championship division races in the Nike Outdoor Nationals June 15-18 at storied Hayward Field at the University of Oregon.

LOCAL SCENE

WORLD-RENOWNED PIANIST TO PERFORM IN SARATOGA

KCAT TV & Radio is inviting the public to a summer evening concert hosted by the Producers Network on June 29 at 7pm at the Saratoga Foothill Club, 20399 Park Place.

Pianist Matei Varga will perform in support of KCAT TV & Radio, the local nonprofit media station that is celebrating 39 years.

Prize winner of the “George Enescu,” “Maria Canals” and "Lory Wallfisch" International Piano Competitions, Varga is also the recipient of the Salon de Virtuosi Career Grant in New York and the Virtuoso Award at the 2003 and 2006 Vendome Prize. In 2002, at the invitation of Gian Carlo Menotti, he made his debut at the Spoleto Festival in Italy. He has performed in many of the world’s leading concert halls, among them Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, New York City Center, Konzerthaus Berlin, the Auditorium du Louvre, National Center for the Performing Arts (Beijing), Victoria Hall (Geneva) and Palau de la Música (Barcelona).

➝ kcat.org/matei-varga-concert.

PROPOSALS SOUGHT FOR UTILITY BOX ART PROGRAM

The Town of Los Gatos Parks & Public Works Department is seeking artists to submit designs for the Utility Box Art Program.

Successful proposals will integrate diversity, equity and inclusion while demonstrating a sense of community, sustainability, diversity, inclusivity and creativity. The chosen designs will be converted into a vinyl wrap and installed on select utility boxes around town.

Artists will receive a $500 stipend per utility box.

➝ losgatosca.gov/2208/Utility-BoxArt-Program.

STEPHEN MARLEY’S TOUR ARRIVES IN SARATOGA

Stephen Marley’s “Babylon By Bus Summer Tour” will make a stop at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga on July 2.

A highly acclaimed singer, songwriter and producer, Stephen “Ragga” Marley has secured a collection of eight Grammy Awards throughout his career thus far. The son of reggae legends Bob Marley and Rita Marley, Stephen embarked on his professional singing career at the age of 6, touring the world alongside his elder siblings Ziggy, Sharon and Cedella as part of The Melody Makers.

In 2008, Stephen Marley’s solo debut album, “Mind Control,” earned a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album.

Marley will be joined in Saratoga by guests Fortunate Youth.

➝ stephenmarleymusic.com.

DRUMMING AND STORYTELLING SHOWCASE IS COMING TO LOS GATOS

To celebrate Nelson Mandela International Day and to promote inclusion, equity, transformative action and unity throughout Los Gatos, San Jose and the Bay Area, AWỌ is bring back the

HUEmanity Salons Series program titled “Drums in the Park” and “Drums of the World” on July 15 and Aug. 27. With the combined power of music, dance and storytelling, with a display of traditional drums that trace their roots to many differents parts of the world, AWỌ’s drumming and talking exchange events feature guest speakers to West African, Traditional Yoruba and Latin American performances.

AWỌ invites the public to “Drums in the Park” on July 15 at Town Plaza Park in Los Gatos from 2-6pm, and to “Drums in the World” on Aug. 27 at Addison-Penzak Jewish Community Center in Los Gatos.

PIANIST Matei Varga will perform June 29 in support of KCAT TV & Radio.

LEARN TRADITIONAL DRUMMING

Local Scene, from page 12

Scheduled workshops include making musical percussion instruments, drum playing and use of traditional African fabrics for collage creations. The event will also feature local drummers and percussionists from around the Bay Area. There will be food, vendors, drum exhibition and more.

AWỌ is a social justice nonprofit that uses public education and awareness, supported by the arts and culture, to bring people together.

Those interested in attending can register for free at awocenter.org/ drumsinthepark. For information, email askawo@awocenter.org or call 408.601.0364.

SPECIAL OLYMPICS ATHLETES COMPETE IN SANTA CLARA COUNTY

An estimated 865 athletes and volunteer coaches gathered in Santa Clara County over the weekend for the Special Olympics Northern California 2023 Summer Games.

The Special Olympics were founded in 1968 to advocate for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Special Olympics Northern California has served more than 25,000

athletes in its mission of fostering inclusive communities through sports. Participating athletes from across Northern California trained and com peted in regional competitions.

The games commenced June 23 with the opening ceremonies in Ste vens Stadium on the Santa Clara Uni versity campus. Pro football Hall of Famer Bryant Young gave the keynote address.

The ceremonies also included the parade of athletes and the culmination of the torch run. The Law Enforce ment Torch Run involves law en forcement agencies across the region carrying the torch to the games while raising funds and awareness for the Special Olympics.

Local agencies, including the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Depart ment, Campbell Police Department, Santa Clara County Fire Department and Sheriff’s Department held a torch run the morning of June 23.

Competition took place on Saturday and Sunday across the Santa Clara University campus and at Cupertino High School. Four sports were fea tured in this year's edition of the games: track and field, bocce, swim ming and tennis.

Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

REGGAE ARTIST Stephen Marley is slated to perform at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga.Stephen Marley is slated to perform at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga.

HORTICULTURE

FERN FOLIAGE IS SOFTLY BOLD

Tony Tomeo, Contributor

Ferns are foliar perennials. They provide neither floral color nor fragrance. They provide neither fruits nor vegetables. With few exceptions, they provide no shade. The very few that are deciduous are not impressively colorful for autumn here. Ferns can not grow as hedges. Nor can they become lawns. They exclusively provide distinctive fern foliage.

They do so splendidly! Most produce the sort of distinctively lacy fern foliage that ferns are famous for. Some exhibit even more finely textured and airy foliage. A few exhibit a relatively coarse foliar texture. Almost all ferns are rich and deep green. Some are lighter or slightly yellowish green. A rare few are silvery gray, or display an intricate silver lining.

Almost all ferns that are popular within home gardens are evergreen. Most benefit from occasional grooming to remove deteriorating old foliage. Some produce new growth on top as old growth lies down below. Several grow most lushly after removal of all foliage prior to their growing season. A few deciduous types of fern defoliate for their dormancy.

Ferns do not develop stems or trunks like most other vegetation does. They sprawl over the ground with rhizomes, which are fleshy stems. Rhizomes grow only in length, but not in diameter. Tree ferns grow upward as their rhizomes deteriorate below. Roots that grow through the deteriorating rhizomes form what seems to be trunks. Fern roots are fibrous.

Leaves of ferns are fronds. Such fronds of most ferns divide into pinnae, which are like smaller leaflets. Pinnae of some ferns divide into even smaller pinnae. Rachi are central stalks that suspend the pinnae within individual fronds. Ferns reproduce by spores, so lack flowers. Most ferns propagate efficiently by division of preferably dormant rhizomes.

Because of their fibrous root systems, ferns are complaisant to confinement within pots. Most ferns are naturally understory vegetation, so are innately tolerant of partial shade. Ferns that tolerate aridity as well as shade and confinement are delightful houseplants. Most ferns are very tolerant of relocation, although some must replace foliage to adapt.

CALENDAR

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

FOURTH OF JULY

The Town of Los Gatos presents, “4th of July - Symphony in the Park,” on July 4 from 11am to 3:30pm at Oak Meadow Park, 233 Blossom Hill Road. The event features a performance by the San Jos Wind Symphony at 1pm, a flag raising ceremony, inflatables, food trucks, beer and wine garden, and more.

DRUMMING AND STORYTELLING SHOWCASE

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

Highlight: sword fern

It seems to be related to Boston fern because it is. Sword fern, Nephrolepis cordifolia, is a less refined species of the same genus. It does not want to live as a docile houseplant. Instead, it prefers room to grow and spread in the garden. It has potential to spread a bit vigorously though. Containment protects adjacent smaller perennials or bedding plants.

Sword fern foliage is the same light and slightly yellowish green as that of Boston fern. It generally stands more upright though. Rather than hang softly from planters, like Boston fern does, it leans outwardly. Its pinnately compound fronds can grow almost two and a half feet tall. Pinnae might be about an inch and a half long, with a slightly grainy texture.

Sword fern is not particularly discriminating about exposure, moisture or soil. It can cling to trunks of Canary Island date palms and infest their canopies epiphytically. Sword fern is greenest with regular irrigation and shelter from harsh exposure though. Its evergreen foliage can discolor and partially defoliate when distressed. Grooming might be tedious. Healthy colonies may hide their old foliage.

To celebrate Nelson Mandela International Day and to promote inclusion, equity, transformative action and unity throughout Los Gatos, San Jose and the Bay Area, AWỌ is bring back the HUEmanity Salons Series program titled “Drums in the Park” and “Drums of the World” on July 15 and Aug. 27. Scheduled workshops include making musical percussion instruments, drum playing and use of traditional African fabrics for collage creations. “Drums in the Park” will be July 15 at Town Plaza Park from 2-6pm, and “Drums in the World” will be Aug. 27 at Addison-Penzak Jewish Community Center in Los Gatos. Those interested in attending can register for free at awocenter.org/drumsinthepark. For information, email askawo@awocenter.org or call 408.601.0364.

‘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.

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.

Tony Tomeo can be contacted at tonytomeo.com.

EVERGREEN Ferns provide distinctive and bold foliage.

REAL ESTATE HOME OF THE WEEK

SURROUNDED BY NATURE

This redwood retreat is located in Melody Woods and only minutes away from the Summit.

Located at 22540 Echo Drive in Los Gatos, the 2,271-square-foot home includes three bedrooms and three bathrooms.

The living room features beamed ceilings, parquet floors and walls of windows that offer nature views.

The updated kitchen is equipped with butcher block counters, while the

dining room has a woodburning stove.

The home also has an apartment with a kitchenette, full bath with shower, office and more.

The more than three-acre property includes a two-car garage, detached carport and shed.

Built in 1981, the home is listed at $1,299,000 by Christie’s International Real Estate Sereno. For information, visit tinyurl.com/2p8patuy.

ECHO DRIVE This Los Gatos home has many windows that look out to the natural landscape.

INSIDE The living room includes beamed ceilings and parquet floors.