Town of Los Gatos Government News

The bittersweet tributes poured in during the only item on the regular agenda at Council, Sept. 3: final professional goodbyes to Los Gatos Town Manager Laurel Prevetti, who spent a decade at the helm of the Silicon Valley community.

Chris Constantin was sure he’d enlist in the U.S. Army Airborne Rangers after receiving his master’s degree, but his past public service ended up determining his future.
The Los Gatos Town Council unanimously selected Constantin as town manager, Los Gatos' top role, last month.

There are no elections in Los Gatos this year because no one in town stepped up to challenge the incumbents, guaranteeing two councilmembers another four years in office.

Kay Bae, the owner of Orchid Cleaners, is a Los Gatos resident who’s been running her dry cleaning business, located in the Ace Hardware building on Los Gatos Boulevard, since 1988.

Los Gatos voters don't have to wait until November to learn municipal election results.

After the Los Gatos Meadows senior living project was slammed, in 2022, by Town officials over height concerns and not taking heed of requests to rejig the hill-perched site to allow in more lower-income residents, Covia Communities—the developer—disappeared.

The for-profit company feeding water to six Santa Clara County cities may agree to walk back its plan for a 22% water rate hike over three years.

Dead, dry grass and tree stumps covering a corner of a popular Los Gatos neighborhood park will be transformed into a new grove thanks to a financial boost.

The developer behind the first project in Los Gatos to fall under the SB330 law designed to streamline housing production statewide says it’s adding 26 homes to its mixed-use project at 405 Alberto Way after Los Gatos introduced a new overlay zone.

It’s the most infamous time of year for Los Gatos residents — peak beach traffic season exacerbated by a scorching Fourth of July. The West Valley town is still trying to figure out how to calm traffic down.

On May 29 around 2pm, Shadi Allen, a resident of Mountain Laurel Lane in Los Gatos, became aware of a possible fire while she was on the second floor of her home. She smelled smoke wafting through the bedrooms, then looked out of a window.

Last week, Council voted to approve a budget with $78 million in spending and $76 million in revenue for the coming year.

As Los Gatos prepared to finally adopt a compliant Housing Element—after 20 residential proposals were submitted during the purgatory period when the Silicon Valley community was out of line with State law, including a live one that includes a 12-story building—questions swirled about who is to blame for the 1,667 units that could be developed with fewer restrictions than normal.

Los Gatos resident Inna Zaltsmann knows the dangers of Blossom Hill Road firsthand, with three serious car crashes near her home, including one where her daughter, a nurse, attempted to give CPR to a woman who died.

Los Gatos seniors wait patiently to pick two food items, while eyeing tables piled with essentials such as meat and bread. Then it’s a free-for-all as roughly 70 participants load their arms and bags with groceries for the week.

In order to finalize the budget for the upcoming year, the Town of Los Gatos needs to solve a variety of puzzles.

Los Gatos’ sales tax could reach its limit after the November election if the majority of voters pass a revenue-generating measure intended to fund some of the town’s top issues.

It only took six tries.

Roughly 35% of Los Gatos residents rent, with an average payment of $3,252, according to data from the town and Zillow. That’s 13% higher than San Jose and 55% higher than the national average.

A quiet neighborhood just off bustling Los Gatos Boulevard could be forever changed if a massive housing project comes to fruition.

Los Gatos’ famous poles with orange netting and flags are a thing of the past on some development projects in town.