Environment

On Aug. 12, Daniel Alpert, a software engineer at Afresh, headed towards Sausalito, with friends, snacks, tents and sleeping bags in tow. Their destination? Haypress Campground, near Mill Valley. Their mission? Taking in the Perseids light display in the skies above. “I had never seen...

California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot on June 21 shared California's progress on the 30X30 plan, a goal to protect 30% of the state's land and coastal waters by 2030.  California has preserved nearly 1,000 square miles of land and sea in the first year...

On May 29 around 2pm, Shadi Allen, a resident of Mountain Laurel Lane in Los Gatos, became aware of a possible fire while she was on the second floor of her home. She smelled smoke wafting through the bedrooms, then looked out of a...

How much do you trust the liquid that comes out of your tap? According to the San Jose Water Quality Report for 2025, Los Gatos’ water clears the regulatory bar. But just because it meets drinking standards doesn’t mean it’s without contaminants.  The annual report...

A new state law allowed Santa Clara County businesses to donate almost 5 million pounds of food during the first half of 2022, according to a press release from the county.  SB 1383 took effect this year. It requires grocery stores and other businesses to...

Los Gatos has always been a special place. Since our founding in 1887, this town has had a gift for bringing people together, and that tradition is as alive as ever in 2026. This weekend, we have a wonderful opportunity to celebrate everything we...

Pam Hansen, of Los Gatos, and Don Vu, of Saratoga, were honored last month for the incredible photographs they took while out in nature, winning a Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District contest that was decided by social media voting. Each year Midpen hosts a photography...

The publicly traded company that provides Los Gatos with water recently got the go-ahead to fire up two solar power generating stations—one in Los Gatos and one in Saratoga. Together they’ll help keep about 21 tons of greenhouse gasses out of the atmosphere each year,...

Imagine embarking on a five-hour journey every morning, not to an exotic destination, but to your kitchen sink. Picture a 25-pound container, not filled with books for school, but with water that's scarcely clean, strapped to your back. This is not a challenge from...

In October 2004, when inspectors tested the water in front of the Hillview Cleaners dry cleaner in downtown Saratoga, they discovered serious contamination. They found the groundwater coursing with 5,400 µg/L (micrograms per liter) of PCE, a key component in degreasing and scouring fabric for...