Columns

On Aug. 10, 1887—135 years ago today—a newly created Board of Trustees voted to officially incorporate the Town of Los Gatos. Let’s mark the occasion with a quiz about our beloved town’s history. 1. Who was awarded a land grant for El Rancho Rinconada de...

A week before the 2022 New Year, I received a text from a friend expressing his dismay at the great number of dead newts he saw on Alma Bridge Road while he was biking. This was right after one of the December winter storms....

First, the disclaimer. While I am the chairperson of the Community Health and Senior Services Commission (CHSSC), I write this article on my own behalf. Second, hopefully, my colleagues on CHSSC and the Los Gatos Town Council will not decide to oust me or demote...

Perhaps I’ve read too many articles and listened to too many podcasts decrying the level of vitriol and partisanship existing in Washington D.C. and in many communities throughout the country. Add to this sorry situation the scenes of conflict I’ve seen on television and...

This is the second of two articles highlighting constructive ways to consider the difficult issue of development in Los Gatos. The first article focused on the importance of remaining civil with one another as we navigate the Housing Element and Builder’s Remedy law-related issues....

It strikes me that the major reason for allowing cannabis dispensaries in Los Gatos would be to generate more revenue. Assuming for argument’s sake that this is correct, there are options for generating revenue other than from allowing cannabis dispensaries in town. I often...

As a young journalist, I was once invited to a meeting with Sheriff Bob Winter at a Los Gatos insurance office. At one point, one of the attendees asked the folksy sheriff if there was anything he could do to help. I remember Winter...

Along a Highway 101 frontage road near San Juan Bautista there’s a discrete wrought iron sign proclaiming, “FREEDOM REIGNS.'' You may have driven by many times and never noticed it, or the keypad located just below to the left. We slowed down to enter...

Green is the most common floral color. It only seems to be rare amongst flowers because almost all green bloom relies on wind for pollination. Thus, neither color nor fragrance is useful to get the attention of pollinators. Actually, green flowers do not get...

Autumn is also fall here. Actually, 'fall' is the more popular name. It had been the popular name in England during the Sixteenth Century. The (generally) French name of “autumn” became more common there during the Seventeenth Century. Yet, both names remained in use...