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vol . 3 , no. 40 : June 12-18, 2024 : losgatan.com
murder case p4 : ai watershed protection p10: blum’s column p12 : ny times crossword puzzle p15 Jonathan Natividad / Los Gatan
$78M BUDGET APPROVED BY LOS GATOS TOWN COUNCIL Revitalization money redirected to tackle more pressing issues Drew Penner, Editor
Last week, Council voted to approve a budget with $78 million in spending and $76 million in revenue for the coming year. To make up the difference, Los Gatos is relying on more than a million of one-time General Fund Reserve dollars. But while the community fervor around the Housing Element approval, which unfolded minutes earlier at the June 4 meeting, was so intense Mayor Mary Badame had to continually chastise attendees for clapping, not a single member of the audience commented on the budget during the public hearing. Badame made the motion to approve the 2024/25 Operating Budget and five-year Capital Improvement Program; Councilmember Rob Moore seconded. Vice Mayor Matthew Hudes asked about the Finance Commission’s discussion about estimating salary costs that have yet to be approved. He wondered if, in the future, perhaps the budget should be decided after contract negotiations ➝ Budget, 6
SMASH, NOT SMASHED The “dry” Grad Night festivities at Los Gatos High School on Friday night featured a series of activities and games, such as 9 Square, which were organized into six different destinations, from the Amazon to Casablanca. Seniors had to get their passport stamped at each to be eligible for a grand prize. Turn to P16 for more Grad Night coverage.
ROWING CLUB HAS BEST NATIONALS OUTING EVER After surgery, GiGi Musolf fought her way to top of podium alongside teammates Drew Penner, Editor
As Los Gatos Rowing Club Director Jamie Velez exited the plane from Florida and raced to
catch his connection in Nashville to Oakland, he was ecstatic. There’d been high hopes for the 59 athletes and their 14 boats at the USRowing Youth National Championships in Sarasota, Fla., and the Los Gatos contingent delivered better results, this time, than ever before. “We had our most successful
year in our history,” Velez told the Los Gatan over the phone. “We won three national championships in three separate events.” The event, hosted at Nathan Benderson Park, was the largest ever, with 854 entries from 224 clubs across the country. ➝ Rowing, 8
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