Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Town selects Godbe Research to conduct a scientific survey

By John Pancharian

The Los Gatos Town Council has entered negotiations with Godbe Research and Analysis to conduct a second--this time scientific--survey of Los Gatos residents. The second General Plan Task Force will use the survey to pick up where the first task force left off, making recommendations on issues highlighted by the original task force.

"God bless you, sir, you made it," was Mayor Linda Lubeck's greeting to Godbe senior analyst, Dave Kaefer, at the Town Council's July 6 meeting. Kaefer waited until 11:30 p.m. to speak to the council, after two lengthy public hearings earlier in the night.

The council identified development and housing density as the major issues it would like the second survey to address, but wanted assurance Godbe could provide in-depth information.

"I don't want somebody to go out and say, 'What do you think of the police,'" Councilmember Joanne Benjamin said, "We can do that ourselves."

Kaefer explained the survey would consist of two sections, one qualitative, another quantitative. First, he said, Godbe analysts would meet with two "stakeholder focus groups"--in-depth group interviews with involved members of the community. Kaefer said this approach allows Godbe to understand the community context in Los Gatos, and creates "buy-in" on the part of influential residents. He said if those likely to use the survey felt included and confident in it from the beginning, the survey would better serve the community's needs.

The second, quantitative part of the survey would consist of a random telephone poll and a mailer sent out to local businesses. Four hundred Los Gatos residents would receive calls from Godbe of about 15 minutes' length. The questions asked of each resident would vary slightly, some of the simple, "what do you think?" variety, and others intended to educate the resident being surveyed. Kaefer said by asking questions about a particular issue, then presenting information about the issue and asking further questions, Godbe can assess the opinions of the uninformed versus the informed voter. About 200 businesses would receive the mailer.

"Most people in survey research are interested not just in what is today, but what could be if we march through a certain process," Kaefer said. To this end, Godbe would present those polled with a hypothetical scenario and assess attitudes about what the results might be.

Councilmember Jan Hutchins worried the Town Council might be "hoisted on its own petard," by the survey, however. During the two earlier public hearings over the SummerHill and Cypress developments, residents used the survey conducted last year by the task force as ammunition in their complaints to the council, arguing that the survey results had been a mandate for slower growth.

"It doesn't matter how we do it," Lubeck said, saying that any survey could be used thus, but would still be worthwhile. She called the first survey a "gut-level reaction," and added, "Let's do a check on it." Lubeck said both surveys could be helpful tools in finding new direction for Los Gatos.

After they had articulated the town's needs, councilmembers continued the negotiations until July 20 and asked Kaefer to assemble sample questions and return then.

The second survey will cost the town about $30,000.

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