Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Editorials

Villa Felice closes, but the memories remain

There was a time--before we routinely dipped our bread in garlic-infused olive oil and balsamic vinegar, before we nibbled on goat cheese and arugula--that Villa Felice was the place for fine Continental dining.

In the era of Sunday drives through a valley blanketed in apricot and prune blossoms, Villa Felice was the place to enjoy a special occasion. A wedding anniversary celebrated at Villa Felice on a Saturday night would be followed by a romantic evening of ballroom dancing. And the music would be live, the musicians in black tie.

For better or worse, those days are gone. And now, so is Villa Felice.

These days, the valley is saturated with fine-dining establishments, many with corporate headquarters in distant places. One less eatery in Silicon Valley is no great crisis.

In Los Gatos, though, the closing of Villa Felice will be felt. It was a place where many local memories were made, from prom-night dinners and family parties to the exuberant Summer of '94, when the Brazilian World Cup soccer team moved in, and Los Gatans learned to samba through the streets of their town.

Practically speaking, Villa Felice's closing means one less venue, in a town with limited meeting places, for local service clubs to get together and for community organizations to gather.

Still, 48 years is a long time to run a restaurant. The Bersano Family is going to take life a little easier.

Thanks for the memories.

Decision was right

The Santa Clara County Committee on School District Organization has decided it would be a mistake to redraw school boundaries in Los Gatos and Saratoga.

Scenarios 2 and 4, those options that could have dramatically changed the geographic areas served by those school districts, have been put to rest.

It is to the credit of the county committee that its decision was based on the research of its consultant. The temptation to give strong weight to the valid emotional considerations of those who hoped to move into the Los Gatos and Saratoga school districts must have been strong.

What's more, the county Board of Education clearly hoped the study would find a solution to the proliferation of requests for interdistrict transfers. It takes courage to spend time and money and to endure emotional upheaval and then be willing to announce that the result is that nothing should change.

Although changes within the Campbell and Moreland school districts remain a possibility, requests for interdistrict transfers in the West Valley will continue much as before.

The Board of Education would do well to define as unambiguously as possible "extreme geographic isolation." It is a phrase board members will soon be hearing a lot.

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