After a pledge of allegiance led by Boy Scouts Troop 2 , Council immediately jumped into discussing federal funding cuts to Santa Clara County residents as a result of HR1, colloquially known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” Sept. 16.
The law was signed into existence by President Donald Trump on July 4.
“We’ve had the opportunity to share with many the impacts of the federal budget on the healthcare system in Santa Clara County,” said former mayor Marico Sayoc, the chief of staff for Supervisor Margaret Abe-Koga, introducing a presentation about the impact of budget cuts on Santa Clara County’s public healthcare system. “We would like to convey that this is a partnership, and we’d love to have you at the table when we look at how to solve some of these big problems that are looming.”
In the presentation, Sayoc’s colleague Brian Darrow outlined the direct impact on Los Gatans.
According to data taken from the County health system, thousands of families are at risk of access to both healthcare and food assistance programs—namely, Medi-Cal and CalFresh.
In Los Gatos alone, 3,700 residents are dependent on Medi-Cal, while 750 rely on CalFresh.
“We knew that we had a storm coming. It’s not coming tomorrow, but it is coming soon,” said Darrow. “The extent to which we can survive it really depends on how we can prepare as a county and a community.”
In response, Darrow outlined support for Measure A—a five-year sales tax increase that will be featured on the ballot for the November special election. The intended tax would generate an estimated $330 million each calendar year.
While some members of Council questioned the tax, namely Councilmember Rob Rennie, the general consensus spoke in support of a response to the impending cuts.
“I’ve already seen the actions from the federal government significantly impacting people in our community and around the country,” said Vice Mayor Rob Moore. “I feel very fortunate that we have a county that is willing to step up.”
After concluding conversation on the funding cuts, Council shifted to examining agenda items.
The first was a request to approve a modification for a planned development located at 130 Vasona Oaks Drive. The proposal mainly concerned additional square footage of 400 square feet, which is not considered to be a “significant change.”
This matter was discussed by Planning Commission and moved forward for approval on August 30.
“I appreciate the deliberations of the planning commission and concur on what I perceive as a very reasonable request that met unanimous support of the planning commission,” said Councilmember Mary Badame.
The request was approved unanimously.
The next item was a proposed amendment: authorizing the Town Manager to renew the town’s current contract with HdL Companies. If approved, the contract would be extended to June 30, 2027 and increased by as much as $193,500 (not including Consumer Price Index adjustments).
Objections arose in public comment, with resident Nadine Swenberg speaking out against the amendment.
“I am concerned about extending and amending the contract with HDL, especially considering the way that the contract is written and the incentives that HDL will have as an outside party when implementing an audit on members of our community,” said Swenberg.
As a hopeful business owner, Swenberg cited her own challenges in trying to procure a business license. Between broken links and an undisclosed processing fee, she asserted that HdL will increase profits when compliance is harder for members of the community.
Council ultimately voted 3-2 in favor of moving forward with approving the renewed contract with HdL.
After a brief intermission, Council concluded the meeting by discussing matters such as wildfire preparedness initiatives and electric bike safety.
The meeting adjourned after 11pm. The body is scheduled to reconvene on Oct. 1 at 7pm.
