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vol . 3 , no. 39 : June 5-11 , 2024 : losgatan.com
park ranger interview p8 : ny times crossword puzzle p19: rowing nationals p12 : police blotter p18 Jonathan Natividad / Los Gatan
LG’S HOUSING ELEMENT NEARS THE FINISH LINE, 1,667 UNITS MAY BYPASS TOWN’S PLANNING RULES State says it will certify Los Gatos’ Latest Housing Element Draft Drew Penner, Editor
As Los Gatos prepared to finally adopt a compliant Housing Element on Tuesday—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. In an email sent out on June 3, Councilmember Rob Moore emphasized the delays he’s found frustrating as he’s pushed to finalize a plan to allow for managed residential growth. “Once the Town Council adopts this draft, Los Gatos will no longer be subject to the Builder’s Remedy (a state law that allows for building beyond local development standards),” he said. “I wish we could have completed this a lot sooner, but ➝ Housing, 10
NATURAL LIGHT PURE Property Management co-founder Joe Polverari at his desk in Old Town Los Gatos on Tuesday morning.
PANDEMIC-ERA STARTUPS FLOURISH IN LOS GATOS From cybersecurity to managing property, entrepreneurs shake things up Sar ah Lai Stirland, Contributor
You can’t control what you can’t identify. Four years ago, Los Gatos entrepreneur Tarun Takur used this insight to build Veza, a cybersecurity company that maps access to a compa-
ny's knowledge and tools, so businesses can keep track of who’s allowed to do what. The pandemic obscured the future. Thakur decided to go ahead and start his company anyway at his house near Blossom Hill Park. That’s still the company’s head office. “We didn’t know whether offices would exist anymore, and so for us, we just started with a brand-new playbook, which was, We’re just going to build
a remote-first company,” said Takur, the founder and CEO. “We made my home the company headquarters.” Veza is part of a wider cycle of creative business destruction that began as the novel coronavirus arrived. The enduring explosion of entrepreneurial activity has been documented by the Census Bureau and the Department of Labor Statistics. ➝ Startups, 16
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