Life, like a medical procedure, rarely goes exactly according to the script we write for ourselves. I recently found myself sitting in a recovery room, waiting for the news that I had crossed the finish line of my final colonoscopy. At nearly 75, I viewed this milestone as a graduation of sorts.
I had been a model student of the prep. I followed the low-fiber mandate, forsaking nuts and whole grains. I drank every drop of that “awful liquid concoction,” I did everything right. Yet, when the doctor walked in, the verdict was a “poor grade” on the cleanout. The consequence? I’m scheduled for a return engagement in three years.
Initially, the news felt like a personal failure. But as the fog of the sedative lifted, perspective took hold. The silver lining was undeniable: two small polyps were found and removed, and they were non-cancerous. While the fate of another prep looms in 2029, the immediate health outcome was a win. Rather than dwell on the frustration of a redo, I’ve chosen to accept reality. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, the cleanout isn’t perfect, and we must deal with the residue left behind.
From the clinic to Council Chambers
This personal detour into the world of internal maintenance led my mind toward the current state of our community. As I’ve followed the recent back-and-forth in the Los Gatan, I can’t help but notice a striking parallel between a botched medical prep and the Town’s current Housing Element predicament.
Our local discourse has been dominated by the fallout of the “builder’s remedy” and the Town’s recent loss in court. Like a patient who thought they followed the rules only to be told they failed the exam, Los Gatos finds itself in a position where developers are now exercising significant leverage over local development. The lawsuit attempting to limit the “deleterious” impact of these projects has failed, and the finger-pointing has reached a fever pitch.
Who is at fault? Was it the Council? The Planning Commission? State mandates that moved the goalposts? We are currently obsessed with the poor grade we received on our housing element cleanout.
The cost of looking backward
In the medical world, if I spent the next three years arguing with my doctor about why the prep didn’t work, I wouldn’t be any healthier. I’d just be more miserable. The same logic applies to our civic life in Los Gatos.
The “builder’s remedy” is here. The legal battles have largely been settled, and the landscape of our town is poised for change. We can spend the next several election cycles litigating the past, or we can accept our fate and pivot toward the future.
The “deleterious” impacts often cited in these debates are real concerns, ranging from traffic to town character. However, if we remain stuck in the blame phase, we lose our remaining agency to shape these projects into the best possible versions of themselves.
Making the best of a “bad” situation
In family law and mediation, we often encounter parties who are so focused on who “ruined” the marriage that they cannot begin the work of building a functional future for their children. They want a judge to declare a winner and a loser, but everyone loses when the process stalls in bitterness.
Los Gatos is at a similar crossroads. Rather than fighting about who led us into this plight, is it not better to move on and try to make the best of a “bad” situation?
Acceptance isn’t the same as surrendering. In my case, acceptance means acknowledging that I’ll be drinking that chalky liquid again in three years but focusing on the fact that I’m healthy today. For the Town, acceptance means acknowledging that the housing landscape has changed. If we stop the internal warfare over blame, we can focus our energy on:
- Mitigation: Working with developers to ensure projects integrate as seamlessly as possible into the fabric of Los Gatos.
- Infrastructure: Preparing our roads and services for the growth that is inevitable.
- Civic unity: Rebuilding a community spirit that has been frayed by zoning battles.
The “cleanout” was messy. The grade was poor. But the “polyps” of our past housing policy have been identified. Now, we have a choice: we can dwell on the “awful liquid” of the past few years, or we can look toward the next three years with a focus on what we can control.
