Classical music played throughout the home of former Los Gatos mayor Randy Attaway, last Thursday afternoon, as he prepared to sit down with the Los Gatan to recount one of the most thrilling moments in modern Los Gatos history. He spent two terms in the top job in the ‘90s, then one in 2002, for a total of 12 years on Town Council. Without a doubt, one of his fondest life memories was World Cup 1994. That was the time when Brazil won the soccer championship and thousands of people celebrated in Los Gatos. The Brazilian team was staying at a hotel in town that no longer exists, and so they would frequent downtown locations and fans streamed into the community to party late into the night. The next World Cup takes place next year, and will have a stop in Santa Clara. Could a full-circle moment be possible?
1, 2, 3 times the charm as mayor
After moving to Los Gatos in the 80s, Attaway immediately started making moves in the community. One of his friends suggested he run for Council in 1986. “I was encouraged to run by a Council member, Marlon Rasmussen, and in my first race I lost,” he said. “But then, I got on the Planning Commission, and went on a number of committees and earned my credentials. And then when I ran, I won in 1990.” Attaway says that his first term as mayor was a huge learning curve. He remembers the North 40 project being initially proposed to the Town Council, during his third term. But, he says, the vision was much different at the time.
When asked about his stance on housing development, Attaway said he believes the Town should form a united front with other communities to challenge things he doesn’t support. “Because we’re not the only community that has issues with this,” he said. “We need to get a coalition and get the whole cities association to push back.”
(Faizi Samadani / Los Gatan)
Los Gatos befriends Brazil
Attaway was mayor of Los Gatos during the ‘94 World Cup. The Brazilian team was housed at a hotel called Villa Felice on Winchester Boulevard. “It brought a certain amount of pride to your community, and we stood out to the Bay Area,” he said. “It was a proud moment for our government and for our citizens. They eventually approached me and asked me if I would provide security at the hotel they were staying in.” Attaway says they were attracted by the hills surrounding the town, because they made them feel secure. Attaway says you could hear the celebrations from a great distance.
(Faizi Samadani / Los Gatan)
Attaway was invited to Brazil by their president. He said that when he landed in Rio de Janeiro, there were about two million people waiting. They boarded buses and he says it was like driving through “ants” with the sea of people. He remembers how special it was, because it was the last time many of the soccer stars would play together, since they were playing for different European teams. “I was asked by the Brazilian ambassador to the United States to come back before the World Cup, to meet the president in Washington, DC, at their embassy,” he said. “We were asked by the ambassador of Brazil to San Francisco to an event where they brought me up on stage and honored me with the medal that they give to diplomats.” Attaway has this medal hanging in his office at his home, along with a signed jersey and soccer ball.
Attaway, who himself played sports growing up, says he knew what it meant for them to choose Los Gatos. “I was at an electric place at a lucky time,” he said. “The fact that they chose us was unbelievably special.” The bond that Attaway initiated led him and his wife to eventually be invited to Brazil, where they were welcomed with open arms and taken around the country as a way of returning their gratitude. “Our town supported this influx of Brazilians with open arms and joined in on their festivities,” he said. “It was an experience for them, and our residents.” But, he was a bit worried about complaints from local residents angry about all the ruckus. “When it’s 2 o’clock in the morning and I hear the chatting go on, I’m thinking, Please stop, because I’m gonna get a beating in the morning,” he said. “I never got one.”
The intensity of the moment was so strong that people even remember cars parking on the freeway to be able to access Los Gatos. While people wonder if something similar might happen during next year’s World Cup, Attaway says not to get our hopes up. He believes the 1994 experience might have just been a one-time thing. One day of impromptu happenings, with a parade that flooded the town with thousands of people—and Attaway in attendance—that will never be forgotten by those who were there.
