@losgatan
vol . 5 , no. 22 : january 28-february 3 , 2026 : losgatan.com
blue canary p4 : vigil for iran protesters p4 : backstage 'jeopardy!' p12 : fate of the old firehouse p14 Jonathan Natividad
LICENSE PLATE READING CAMS TRIGGER TOWN DEBATE AFTER OTHERS OPT TO JETTISON ALPR Chief Field: The AIbased tech has proved to be a crucial tool Drew Penner, Editor
D e t e c t i v e R i l e y Fr i z z e l l crouched over a small Dell laptop at the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department Operations Center on Los Gatos Boulevard, Monday afternoon, hunting for a pickup truck. There’d been plenty of activity going on at the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department in recent days: the semi-annual report to Council less than a week earlier, ongoing budget discussions in an era of cutbacks, the rise in scammers targeting local seniors and the upcoming Superbowl— which federal officials said will also play host to an ICE enforcement operation Feb. 8. He ticked off a type of crime from the drop-down menu on the Flock Safety Group digital console, added the plate number and vehicle description and considered other filters to set up an alert within the license plate tracking software. He drew a box around the area he wanted to search. Almost instantly, a series of photos of the suspect vehicle taken by cameras placed strategically across Los Gatos appeared on his screen. A notification pinged his cellphone. Actually, he wasn’t tracking ➝ Flock, 8
SCORE IT Dionysis Maroudas elevates for a fast-break basket during the Wildcats’ 55-44 home win over Monta Vista on Jan. 23. P10.
MOUNTAIN BIKERS CHEER MIDPEN’S TRAIL ANNOUNCEMENT Finding a balance between wildlife conservation and recreation Faizi Samadani, Contributor
When the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District board voted to open a new trail at the Beatty property, east of Lexington Reservoir, Dec. 10, it was a significant win for the Los Gatos
outdoor community. There have been delays due to newts being killed at Alma Bridge Road by traffic. The agreement addresses this issue by opening the trail seasonally, when newts aren't migrating during the rainy seasons. The tentative date to open this trail is in 2028, as the last time there was a multi-use trail opened (which included mountain bikers) was the Serpentine Trail—around 30 years ago.
Midpen funded this through a $650,000 grant, setting up a pilot project for the Alma Bridge Road Newt Passage Project. The intention of this project was to offer ways to protect newts from being killed around the Beatty property, where there has been a significant rate of mortality documented for the animal. Santa Clara County has owned the Alma Bridge Road since 2021, so ➝ Midpen, 6
Subscribe.
If you read the Los Gatan please support it. And recieve it at home, every week.
LGSubs.com