Guest View

Each week, when members of the Rotary Club of Los Gatos rise to say the Pledge of Allegiance, we reaffirm our commitment to the country and our community. It is a meaningful ritual, but I believe we have room—indeed, a responsibility—for something more. After...

With anti-American sentiment rising in some places, it’s worth reviewing the US Department of State (DoS) Travel Advisory Levels when planning a trip abroad. Each country is rated at one of four levels (China is at Level 2; North Korea is Level 4). There are...

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...

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...

Urban planning thrives on informed decision-making. However, the increasing influence of game theory—a branch of mathematics that studies strategic interactions—can be a recipe for disaster in the messy world of governance. While game theory offers insights in some areas, relying largely on its models...

Perhaps I’ve read too many articles and listened to too many podcasts decrying the level of vitriol and partisanship existing in Washington D.C. and in many communities throughout the country. Add to this sorry situation the scenes of conflict I’ve seen on television and...

Emerging contaminants, also known as “contaminants of emerging concern,” are substances in the environment that may be detrimental to wildlife and/or human health. Some emerging contaminants are chemicals and compounds entering bodies of water like lakes and rivers, which are identified, tracked, studied, and ultimately...

Julius Caesar, a name synonymous with power, ambition and—ultimately—betrayal, met his fate on the Ides of March. While we remember this date for the fall of a Roman emperor, the Ides of March also offers us a chance to rise to a different kind...

Back in 2015, Elon Musk made this pronouncement about the future of self-driving cars, “We’re going to end up with complete autonomy, and I think we’ll have complete autonomy in about two years.” At that time, I was a technology leader at Trimble, a...

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...