On Nov. 18, in the lead-up to Thanksgiving, the Los Gatos Town Council held one of its shortest meetings in recent history.
Lasting a little over an hour, it focused mainly on two presentations: one that honored a Los Gatos legend; another that recapped progress for one important local committee.
First up? An award for John Lochner: an exemplary citizen of Los Gatos since before 1970.
“John Lockner has demonstrated an enduring commitment to the town of Los Gatos and its community organizations,” said Mayor Matthew Hudes. “The Town Council of the town of Los Gatos does hereby render this commendation with special appreciation to John Lockner in recognition of his many contributions.”
Lockner served as a member of the Los Gatos Town Council for two terms. He was mayor in both 1975 and 1980.
In addition to his service on the council, Lockner actively participated in the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce as its president and its treasurer, as well as serving as a member of the Los Gatos Lions Club.
The second presentation provided an update on the Community Health & Senior Services Commission year end report, or CHSSC.
Eleanor Yick, current chair of CHSSC, broke down the committee’s initiatives into three parts—highlights, observations and requests moving into the next calendar year.
Yick noted numerous CHSSC accomplishments during the duration of the meeting, including working alongside the Los Gatos Thrive Foundation to host the popular Monday morning movie program, each month.
Outside of recent successes, CHSSC requested further support from the Los Gatos Town Council in order to continue making progress on some of its biggest goals.
“CHSSC requests the Town Council to affirm if they wish the CHSSC to provide continuous oversight on the implementation of Senior Services Roadmap goals,” Yick read from the presentation. “If affirmed, CHSSC needs access to data from the local Service Providers on their budget, staffing, participants, and other program criteria needed to measure and assess effectiveness and identify service gaps.
After Yick’s presentation, the meeting opened up to public comment—beginning with 10-year resident Bridget Alexander.
“I am here because something that was supposed to bring hope to families like mine has instead brought stress, fear and disappointment,” said Alexander. “I want to talk about the rent increase in the BMR program through House Keys.”
Alexander, a single mother, believed that the affordable housing program would give her stability. However, after initially entering the lottery in 2025, her rent was jacked up more than $700 beyond the initial amount she had agreed upon (from $2,224 to $2,976—a $752 jump), she said.
“Tonight I am asking the city for fairness and accountability,” said Alexander. “Please investigate this increase, please protect residents who rely on BMR programming and please create a policy that honors the original rent amount at the time of lottery.”
Later, during “Council and Manager Matters,” Vice Mayor Rob Moore—just weeks away from becoming mayor—called the House Keys rent increase “concerning” and asked Town Attorney Gabrielle Whelan if she wouldn’t mind looking into the issue.
“Yes, I can consult with the community development director, and one of us will get back to the Council,” Whelan said.
“Perfect,” replied Moore.
House Keys did not respond to a request for comment about the investigation by press time.
Another public comment concerned the Town’s successful push to get Swenson Builders to reduce the size of its Residences at Newtown project.
“I spoke to many of our neighbors and we like it,” said resident Carin Yamamoto. “It was really nice to work with a developer that actually heard our concerns and addressed a lot of our concerns.
The meeting wrapped up around the one hour mark, with Mayor Hudes offering a touching remembrance of another former Los Gatos mayor.
“With great sadness, we will acknowledge the passing of Barbara Spector, and close the meeting in her honor,” he said.
