Columns

He has much in common with other residents of Los Gatos: He’s a veteran who grew up in a family with mining interests overseas. He’ll buy you a cold drink on a hot day. When he’s offered a free beer at the bar he...

What were your favorite school memories as a child? Mine included counting roly-polies in the grass at recess, having mud-sliding contests after school, and picking wildflowers with my friends. Some of my least favorite memories were having to play soccer on plastic turf on...

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....

During the past few years, I’ve served as a member of the Community Health and Senior Services Commission (CHSSC) in Los Gatos. For most of that time, our commission, which is supposed to have six adult members and one youth member, has had one...

“He won’t go away until you come out and see him,” our exasperated office manager, Marilyn Fitch, who’d been trying to protect me from the unscheduled visitor to our Royce Street office, came back and informed me.  “Who?” I asked. “Harry Cohen.” I was always happy to...

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...

With all the controversy surrounding California’s mandated housing bill, let’s take a look back to a time when our very own Town Council considered making an even more draconian move. During the 1960s, downtown businesses were losing customers to the popular new concept of shopping...

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...

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...

In Morgan Hill, there are no roads looking like a pockmarked moonscape and no tumbleweed rolling across the open spaces. The city’s drama level is lower than the cost of living (although perhaps not by much). The downtown area is vibrant, filled with restaurants,...