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vol . 5 , no. 1 9: january 7-13 , 2026 : losgatan.com
shannon o'connor trial p6 : numu preview p6 : girls soccer p10 : ascending mt. rigi kulm p12 Faizi Samadani / Los Gatan
MONTE SERENO’S LATEST MAYOR RECALLS HELPING WITH LOS GATOS FOUNDING OF ATARI Voracious newspaper reader Lon Allan is working with Asm. Pellerin on wildfire prevention Drew Penner, Editor
Lon Allan, 82, remembers the scrappy 1970s in Silicon Valley, when his client, future Video Game Hall of Famer Nolan Bushnell, hadn’t co-founded Atari yet. “He was the founder, I was his lawyer,” recalled Allan, the new mayor of Monte Sereno, during a recent interview at BLVD Coffee in Los Gatos. “Probably the most creative person I’ve ever represented— where most people see problems, Nolan saw opportunities.” It’s Allan’s second time at the head of the small, wealthy enclave neighboring San Jose, Saratoga and Los Gatos, and to tackle rising challenges like unaffordability, wildfire risk, funding cutbacks, traffic and a variety of quality-of-life concerns—he’ll be dipping into the deep well of experience he’s replenished over the decades in different industries. And that goes all the way back to that time he helped set up a little Los Gatos business called Atari. “I incorporated Atari right here in Los Gatos, California. I filed the articles of incorporation in June 1972. Our world headquarters where we started was Winchester and Lark,” he said, adding back then they thought they didn’t need anyone over the age of 30 involved. “The truth is, we were full of ourselves.” ➝ Allan, 11
THE BOSS From town halls that are in the works, to efforts to make minority communities feel more welcome, to balancing the need for more housing with the interests of local homeowners, Los Gatos Mayor Rob Moore shares his plans for the coming year with the newspaper.
Q&A: NEW YEAR MEANS A NEW MAYOR FOR LOS GATOS Rob Moore on housing, handling criticism and rules for e-bikes Faizi Samadani, Contributor
Los Gatos has a municipal government system where Council members, who are elected for staggered four-year terms, rotate being mayor. In December, Rob Moore, now in his fourth year on the body, became the youngest mayor in the history of Los Gatos.
At the ripe age of 27, Moore is also the youngest member of the Council. His passion to serve is obvious. And he says he plans to run for another term. Though no stranger to controversy, Moore will now take on greater responsibilities—and will potentially have to fight off increased attacks—as mayor. But, he says he’s ready for the challenge. Faizi Samadani sat down with Moore recently for an ex-
tended interview, recording his thoughts on residential development proposals, legal fights and how to protect Los Gatos’ unique character. What are your favorite things about the town of Los Gatos? Good question. I'm a big outdoors person, so I love our access to nature. I run on the Los Gatos Creek Trail once or twice a week, and I think the Creek ➝ Moore, 8
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