Opinion

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...

On a recent car trip, I drove across a set of railroad tracks and noticed a large white sign in bold black letters: “Do Not Stop on Railroad Tracks.” Of course, the sign has a serious purpose. Sadly, there are people in crisis who have...

A week before the 2022 New Year, I received a text from a friend expressing his dismay at the great number of dead newts he saw on Alma Bridge Road while he was biking. This was right after one of the December winter storms....

On Saturday, vandals participating in the “No Kings” protests graffitied the Loma Brewing alleyway. As a community, we shouldn’t stand for our town to be treated this way by outsiders. I value the beauty and safety of this town, and will do everything I can...

Around spring 1970, I took my first cross country road trip with my college friend, Cliff, who later became a doctor and then the surgeon general of New Jersey. We began our journey at our college, Rutgers University. We sang Bob Dylan songs and...

According to Merriam-Webster, a “community” is a unified body of individuals with common interests living in a particular area. My mother taught me as a kid that community was everything—and that you volunteered to make it better. Bill Weaver, my boss at KLOK-AM, my first...

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...

My dad was an all-around handyperson. He had a well-equipped work room in our basement and the knack to take on and complete difficult home improvement projects, such as installing a central air conditioning system, vents and all, to cool our entire house.  Sadly, I...

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...

During the past few years, I’ve served as a member of the Community Health and Senior Services Commission (CHSSC) in Los Gatos. For most of that time, our commission, which is supposed to have six adult members and one youth member, has had one...