Opinion

Reading “Davos Man: How the Billionaires Devoured the World” by Peter S. Goodman left me despairing the power and greediness of a select group of billionaires until I neared the book’s end. One of the final chapters, titled “The Money is Right There in...

A family member dying and passing the family home onto their child or grandchild should not be a taxable event. Prop. 19 allows property to be reassessed to market value when it passes from parents to children, resulting in a massive property tax increase...

In times of division and frustration, it’s essential to remember that peaceful protest is one of the most powerful tools we have to create change. The right to gather, speak and demand accountability is at the very heart of democracy. Throughout history—whether in the...

I am writing today to urge our community and elected officials to support reauthorizing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).  Currently, DACA has not accepted new eligible applicants since October 2020. According to the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services website (2022), DACA is a...

Los Gatos is not Washington, D.C. where the level of partisanship is extremely high. Nor is it Palo Alto, where I lived for more than 40 years prior to moving to Los Gatos in November 2019, and where I observed the divisiveness our community...

The Los Gatos Community Alliance applauds the work Grosvenor has done in reimagining their development plans for Phase 2 of the North 40. We recognize how far the proposal has come from its original concept—just 200 units with 40 affordable and a hotel. The current...

Community Alliance: Appointment process was politically driven Leadership requires vision, competence, and integrity—qualities seemingly lacking in former mayor Maria Ristow and Vice Mayor Rob Moore. Their actions during the Planning Commission appointment process show a troubling pattern of prioritizing politics over the community’s needs. The Planning...

Recent commentary about the renovation at La Rinconada Country Club has raised understandable questions—and, unfortunately, some misconceptions—about what is actually taking place on our grounds. As stewards of a property with nearly a century of history and deep roots in the Los Gatos community, we...

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...

In a recent Los Gatan article, titled “Town’s effort to acknowledge earliest residents fraught with challenges,” journalist Drew Penner was attempting to shed light on the efforts of the Town of Los Gatos to acknowledge its less-than-inclusive telling of its own history. But the...