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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...

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...

My North Santa Cruz Avenue business, Beyond Text Bookstore, has now been open for over six months. That’s six months the place has been filled with real people—not just my dreams and hopes. Upon reflection, I wanted to share a little about what I didn’t know...

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...

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...

Every family deserves the peace of mind that comes with clean, lead-free drinking water. At San Jose Water, we are committed to developing a comprehensive inventory of service line materials in our system. Since 2017, we’ve worked alongside industry experts to inspect thousands of lines...

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...

Is your current definition of “community center” a dusty gym with dodgeballs older than your grandma’s knitting needles? Fear not, fellow Los Gatos residents. We’re tossing out the tired old model and crafting a vibrant, all-encompassing space that would make Michelangelo himself ditch his...

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...

The loud and obnoxious squawking of crows used to bother me. I am generally a quiet person who likes to grab a book, find an empty noise-free area to sit at and read for hours at a time. I still cherish times when my...