Opinion

Simitian’s gratitude Thank you for the opportunity to serve in public office for more than 40 years at five different levels: as a local school board member, city council member and mayor, county supervisor, state assemblymember and state senator. At the end of next month, by...

I’m not a movie reviewer. In fact, I wasn’t even much of a movie watcher, until the pandemic hit, which pretty much coincided with my semi-retirement (more like 90% retirement) from working as a family law attorney. Since then, I’ve watched hundreds of movies....

From the Inbox... Do your homework Dear Mr. Penner, I give you a C- for your latest journalistic effort in the Los Gatan. You should validate your information before releasing your stories for publication. Your article titled “ACLU threatens legal action against town” is devoid of...

Have you ever wondered how prominent figures like Benjamin Franklin achieved remarkable success? One key factor in his rise as a writer, publisher and politician was his mastery of “social intelligence.” What follows is my analysis of how Franklin’s lessons might apply to our...

Dear Editor, I read with interest the article in the Los Gatan about the May 21 Town Council meeting.  One of the top concerns of those polled about a possible new tax was “traffic congestion,” so the Council proposed to direct revenue from the new tax...

On a recent rainy Saturday morning, I attended a Rotary meeting in Cupertino. My purpose in going was to learn more about the state of mental health services in the county, in my role as a commissioner on the Los Gatos Community Health and...

“Where are you from?” It’s a common question, and one that can be quite loaded for people of diverse ethnicities. On its face, it’s a plain question based on curiosity, filled with nostalgia, or awe. But it could also carry covert racism and hatred, carrying the connotation...

Hello, fellow Los Gatos residents and visitors, We have a wonderful town. But dog owners who do not pick up their dog’s droppings (poop), please do not leave it on our sidewalks. Unhealthy, unkind, just wrong. So many of you do pick up after their pets...

When my husband and I moved from Germany to the United States in 2017, our oldest daughter was three and I was expecting the second of our three children. It was a time of major transitions, and it was important to me that they...

I walked out of a chemistry lab my freshman year of college, excited to call my family and update them on my newfound independence. What greeted me on the other line was not exciting news, however, it was news that crushed my soul.  “Kaitlyn,” my grandmother...