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Editorials
How Los Gatans figured out town had character
For some time now, Los Gatans have tried to define what they mean when they talk about the town's character. It's partly the downtown, partly the people, the historic homes, the unique shops and, mostly, the small-town feel.
It's hard to define in exact terms, but everyone seems to have a pretty good idea of what they mean when they say it.
As the 10th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake approaches, we can't help but wonder if that was the moment in history when Los Gatans decided this town has character--and nothing could be worse than to let that character slip away.
In the wake of the disaster, the community came together and agreed that saving historic buildings should be a priority. Many businesses had an uphill battle just getting their doors open again after the destruction. And then there was the challenge of convincing shoppers to return.
It might have been easier to raze the old buildings, to start all over. But the community was united in the belief that what they had was worth saving.
Today the perceived disaster is development. For many Los Gatans, the threat that development will change the character of the town has become a rallying cry.
We're seeing it in the diverse cross-section of the community showing up at meetings of the newly formed Neighborhood Alliance, and in the website Mark Brodsky has created to focus community attention on the North Forty.
Most recently, Alastair Dallas, who wrote the book Los Gatos Observed, has created an email conference in which Los Gatans are encouraged to discuss a variety of local issues.
It's almost as if, on the 10th anniversary of the natural disaster that almost destroyed the town, people are coming together once again in the spirit of community to ensure that this town's character will be preserved.
Crowning Glory
The Community Foundation hoped the Town Council would give its blessing to the organization's plan to build a bandstand in Oak Meadow Park and adorn it with the historic Lyndon cupola.
The council, however, said it wasn't about to endorse a plan for a bandstand sight unseen. So much for the boost the foundation hoped the endorsement would give its fundraising efforts.
The cupola, meanwhile, remains sitting on a fenced concrete pad in Oak Meadow, where it is reportedly being vandalized.
In truth, the fundraising campaign has gone on for a long time. Many Los Gatans are unaware of the effort, let alone what a bandstand crowned with a cupola might look like.
Let's hope the Community Foundation will take the council's rebuff as a challenge to launch a fundraising campaign aimed at raising the needed funds in a short time.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
