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Never criticize your boss
Contributor Jeffrey P. Blum is a family law mediator.
Robert Greene’s book “The 48 Laws of Power” instructs us to never criticize our boss. Avoiding criticizing your boss is important for maintaining your position and gaining favor. Criticisms can be perceived as a challenge to...
Blood: The hot commodity everyone needs
We've got a crisis on our hands, and it's not the latest TikTok trend or an avocado shortage. We're talking about a severe blood drought. The life-giving, accident-saving, surgery-enabling fluid is in shorter supply than toilet paper during the whole pandemic debacle.
You might be...
A transformative mediation approach to homelessness in Los Gatos
Homelessness is a complex issue plaguing communities across the globe, and Los Gatos is no exception. While Los Gatos boasts prosperity and scenic beauty, it also faces individuals and families struggling with housing insecurity. Transformative Mediation (TM) can be applied to bridge the divide...
Blum: My ideas for attracting new members to Rotary
Somehow through my years as a volunteer in many different endeavors I’ve gotten the notion that I know how to generate interest about the organizations I’ve been involved in. In many cases I did this by writing articles about the organization, such as the...
Blum: Here’s my whimsical plea for civic engagement
In our quaint town of Los Gatos, nestled amidst rolling hills and serene landscapes, reside dedicated public servants whose hearts beat in rhythm with the pulse of the community. These individuals tirelessly serve on the Community Health and Senior Services Commission (CHSSC), their passion...
Move away from the ‘waterfall effect’
Volunteers know it is difficult to accomplish change. When I sought along with several others to get a Restorative Justice program implemented at a Los Gatos school, I initially encountered great enthusiasm for the idea. Unfortunately, this enthusiasm was followed by inaction on the...
Guest View: How to teach kids about fiery realities
Parents want to shield their children from the dangers of the world—but fire is one thing they can’t sweep under the rug. Especially now, as our communities begin to realize fire season no longer has a beginning or end; it is a constant where...
Los Gatos Community Alliance decries Planning Commission appointment process (+ letters from a veteran and an anti-dating violence nonprofit)
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...
The Great Vanishing
If you drove down Los Gatos-Saratoga Road this morning and felt a strange, existential chill, as if a beloved landmark had been quietly snatched in the night, you aren't alone. The horizon is flatter, the colors are duller, and the “Gateway to the Mountains”...
How should you respond when someone asks ‘the question’?
“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...


















