@losgatan
vol . 5 , no. 38 : may 20-26, 2026 : losgatan.com
police blotter p7 : lg united soccer p8 : salvation army's art party p11 : jolly10k run plans p13 Courtesy of Kommuna Lux
TOWN ATTORNEY FINDS THE INITIAL CONDITIONS FOR MOSQUE WERE DISCRIMINATORY During fifth meeting, Los Gatos proposes even stricter rules for morning prayers Drew Penner, Editor
If the West Valley Muslim Association had proposed a by-right high-density housing development (and it could have)—instead of a slight extension of hours—the build would’ve already been approved by now. That's because, in California, certain housing projects receive an automatic green light if it takes the municipality more than five public meetings to take action. And May 13 was the fifth hearing on the Conditional Use Permit modification request for the Los Gatos Islamic Center. It came and went without a decision, once again. Instead of the current 10pm closing time, WVMA wants a 10:30pm operations cutoff, plus half an hour to vacate the premises (and 11:30pm, plus an extra half-hour for dispersal, during Ramadan—and not even that late when sunset is prior to 7:30pm). They are agreeing to be bound by new morning hours limitations (being allowed to start arriving 1.5 hours before sunrise—so, about 5:50am this year, at the earliest). “This has been a long, drawnout process for our community,” said WVMA founder Razi Mohiuddin after the Planning ➝ Mosque, 12
ODESA-ORIGIN Kommuna Lux, who are set to play the Addison-Penzak Jewish Community Center on Sunday, was founded in Ukraine but play folk music from around the Eastern European region. They are raising money for the war effort against Russia, and to help their compatriots with humanitarian aid. P10.
KELSEY ZHANG FINISHES PREP CAREER WITH A STATE RECORD Saratoga senior wins 100 fly and 200 IM Emanuel Lee, Sports Editor
Kelsey Zhang doesn’t usually get too excited after winning a swimming race. After all, the Saratoga High School senior has notched hundreds of first-place finishes since she started swimming competitively at age 5. However, when Zhang won the girls 100-yard butterfly in the CIF State Championships at
the Clovis Olympic Swim Complex on May 16, she splashed the water in jubilation. Not only had Zhang taken first in the race, but she did so in a state-meet record time of 51.83 seconds. Considering that California boasts arguably the nation’s richest prep swimming talent, Zhang’s accomplishment spoke volumes. Z h a n g h a d n’ t g o n e s u b 52-seconds all year, so she had reason to be excited. Initially, Zhang didn’t realize she had broken the state record.
“I didn’t hear (the announcer) because my ears were filled with water,” she said. “But then I saw the time and was excited for that of course. Going in I wanted to get as close to the record as I could, but I didn’t expect to break it.” Earlier in the day, Zhang captured the first of her two individual race wins, besting the field in the 200-yard individual medley in 1:58.07. Zhang’s ➝ Zhang, 9
Subscribe.
If you read the Los Gatan please support it. And recieve it at home, every week.
LGSubs.com