March 19, 2024, Town Council Special Meeting

The agenda and reports for the March 19, 2024, Town Council Special meeting at 6:00 p.m. are available online.  The Town Council will interview applicants for the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commission; the General Plan Committee; the Parks and Sustainability Commission; and Planning Commission and make appointments.

This is a hybrid meeting and will be held in-person at the Town Council Chambers at 110 E. Main Street and virtually through the Zoom webinar application.

The Town welcomes public participation. For instructions regarding how to participate in the meeting, please see the meeting agenda.  For additional details on providing comments, please visit the Town Public Guide to Town Council Meetings webpage. 
  
For more information on this agenda or about Finance Commision meetings, please call (408) 354-6832 or send an email to the Town Manager's office. 

March 19, 2024, Town Council meeting

The agenda and reports for the March 19, 2024, Town Council meeting at 7:00 p.m. are available online. Among the items on the agenda, the Town Council will consider the following items:

• Adoption of a Resolution suspending Resolution Nos. 2024-003, 2024-004, and 2024-005 regarding the Transportation Impact Fee;  
• Introduction of an Ordinance amending Chapter 29, of the Town Code Regarding Appeals; assignment of duties to the Planning Director and Planning Commission; powers and duties of Planning Commission, the Planning Director, and the Historic Preservation Committee; and adopt a Resolution amending the enabling Resolution of the Historic Preservation Committee;
• Introduction of an Ordinance amending Chapter 1, Article III, ‘Administrative Citations,’ Chapter 11, ‘Garbage, Refuse, and Weeds,’ and Chapter 16, ‘Noise’ of the Town Code;
• Introduction of an Ordinance amending the Zoning from C-1 (Neighborhood Commercial) to RD (Residential Duplex) for Properties Located at 15025, 15026, 15039, 15040, 15053, 15054, 15066, 15067, 15080, and 15081 Downing Oak Court;
• Approval of legislative priorities with regard to State, Federal, and regional legislation; and
• An update on Unhoused Initiatives, authorization of revenue and expenditure budget adjustments to recognize a reimbursement and provide direction.

This is a hybrid meeting and will be held in-person at the Town Council Chambers at 110 E. Main Street and virtually through the Zoom webinar application.

The Town welcomes public participation. For instructions regarding how to participate in the meeting, please see the meeting agenda.  For additional details on providing comments, please visit the Town Public Guide to Town Council Meetings webpage. 
  
For more information on this agenda or about Town Council meetings, please call (408) 354-6832 or send an email to the Town Manager's office.

Oats, Flats, and Bowls Made Easy: A Plant Based Cooking Demo

Jane Esselstyn, RN and Ann Esselstyn, M.Ed., coauthors of Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook and Be a Plant-Based Woman Warrior Cookbook, will explain and demonstrate the principles of cooking to prevent and reverse disease. They will explore some of the many whole food, plant-based ingredients that have been shown to lower cholesterol levels, reduce blood pressure, and improve blood glucose numbers. Special attention will be paid to simple and easy recipes that require minimal time and effort.

The Plant Based Advocates Speaker Series 

The Los Gatos Library is partnering with Plant-Based Advocates on programs to help reduce our traditional reliance on meat and dairy. PBA promotes a shift to plant-based diets for health, environment, animals, and social equity.

To register go to: https://losgatosca.libcal.com/event/12062849 

The Los Gatos Monte Sereno Police Department is hiring officers and dispatchers!

The Los Gatos Monte Sereno Police Department is hiring Police Officers and Dispatchers!

The Town is hiring!

The Town is hiring for various positions including:

• Community Services Officer
• Human Resources Director
• Parks and Maintenance Worker Trainee OR Parks and Maintenance Worker
• Permit Technician
• Police Officer
• Senior Civil Engineer

For more information on both of these positions and to apply, visit the Town website at www.losgatosca.gov/1696/Employment. 

Make Sure You Can be Reached in an Emergency,
Sign Up for AlertSCC

One powerful emergency preparedness tool is AlertSCC - make sure you are signed up to receive alerts! 

AlertSCC is the official emergency alert and warning system for Santa Clara County and the Town of Los Gatos.  This is how the Town will contact you in the event of an emergency or service delivery interruption.  

It is free for everyone and easy to set up. Alerts are sent directly on your mobile device, landline, and or email.

Having the RIGHT information, at the RIGHT time, will help you make the RIGHT decisions in an emergency or disaster.

Visit www.AlertSCC.org to sign up!

Community Policing

The Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department is initiating specific events and programs throughout 2022 to enhance community policing. Community Policing has been a long-standing framework for establishing trust, exchange of information and transparency, and a positive engagement between law enforcement and the community. Community policing is used to involve the community in public safety and gain an understanding of specific community concerns and create a positive, proactive policing method to meet the needs of the community.

 The community policing programs include Coffee with a Cop, the Therapy Dog Program, a Community Police Academy, Walk with a Cop, and staff Support of Special Olympics activates. These engagements are identified on the lower portion of the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Community Policing logo to promote these events throughout the year on the department website, social media, and other communications. These engagements are integral to build respect, community - police partnerships, and developing a better-informed vision of public safety needs and responses.

The Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department is committed to enhancing community policing efforts through these specific engagement opportunities. Police presence and trust is fundamental to maintaining peaceful order to the community. It is the realization of public and police sharing a space in congruence, building relationships, with a focus on common goals. These community - police interactions help to bridge the gap and implement the LGMSPD mission to be a collaborative problem solvers. 

For more information, please visit the Police Department's Community Policing webpage. 

County of Santa Clara Launches 

988 Phone Number Dedicated to 

Crisis Mental Health Services

Santa Clara County has launched a lifeline phone number for people to call in times of mental health or substance use crisis, with teams of trained counselors available 24/7 to offer support by phone or in-person, depending on the nature of the situation.

The lifeline – reached by dialing 9-8-8 – is the result of a push to make similar crisis and suicide prevention services available across the country starting July 16, 2022. The County of Santa Clara’s 988 operation includes an array of mental health services designed to de-escalate crisis situations.

The County’s new lifeline is designed to provide support for those experiencing emotional or mental health distress, including thoughts of suicide, fearfulness, or other mental health or substance use crises. Loved ones and others can also call 988 if they are concerned for someone else.
  
The lifeline will also serve as a connection point for County Behavioral Health Services and community-based organizations. The various onsite mobile response teams are made up of crisis clinicians and peer outreach specialists; services that both involve or do not involve law enforcement are available. The goals of 988 are de-escalation, stabilization, and referral to continued services.

County Behavioral Health Services staff are thoroughly trained on the new system, and the 988 line went live in a soft launch in May. The service is free, anonymous, and confidential, with no information shared unless in-person dispatch is required. Language interpretation is available in more than 200 languages. Calls to 988 are routed by area code; if the phone used does not have a 408, 650 or 669 area code, the Santa Clara County service can be accessed by calling 1-800-704-0900 and pressing 1. The same 800 number can be used for non-emergency calls to County Behavioral Health Services regarding general mental health and substance use treatment services information and referrals.

Becoming an Inclusive Community

Visit the Town's webpage, Becoming an Inclusive Community to find information about the Town's commitment to inclusivity, equity, justice, and diversity, including related Town Council actions, Council action on Police reforms, an overview of Police Department community policing, and a dedicated email for comments and inquiries regarding these important issues.

If you have concerns, experiences, questions, or ideas regarding how Los Gatos can be more welcoming for all, please let us know by sending an email to Community@losgatosca.gov.

Lifesaving Information For Emergencies (L.I.F.E.) File

Emergencies can happen when we least expect them to and many of the requests for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) happen within the home. The Town of Los Gatos is partnering with the Santa Clara County Fire Department to promote their new L.I.F.E. file program. The L.I.F.E. File is a simple tool individuals and families may use to assist emergency responders during a medical emergency. First Responders rely heavily upon the patient, and/or the patient’s family members, to provide information used to help in the treatment and care of the patient. However, there are times when the patient is unable to provide this information and family members may not be present or available to assist First Responders during a medical emergency. The L.I.F.E. File information includes past pertinent medical history, allergies to medications, medications currently prescribed to the patient, advanced medical directives and any additional information. The L.I.F.E. File pouch is a vinyl magnetic pouch that is placed in an easily seen location on the front or side of the refrigerator.

You may pick up L.I.F.E. Files from the Los Gatos Monte Sereno Police Department and local fire stations. If you, or anyone you know, would like additional information on the L.I.F.E. File program please contact Jackie Rose, Community Outreach Coordinator at JRose@losgatosca.gov.

How can we help you if we can't reach you? While you have signed up to receive these weekly "What's New" emails, many of your neighbors may have remained in the dark because they did not receive current information from the Town. In addition to emergency communications, you may sign up for Town notifications regarding infrastructure projects in your neighborhood, Town events, meetings, and other topics of community interest. 

Please encourage your friends and neighbors in Los Gatos to sign up for Town communications through "Notify Me" at: www.losgatosca.gov/notifyme. Type your email address in the box and select "sign in."  From there, you can subscribe to the topics you wish and you are able to unsubscribe at any time.

If you need help, call the Town Manager's Office at (408) 354-6832 during business hours or email engage@losgatosca.gov with subject "Sign Me Up."