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The following press release regarding a homicide in Monte Sereno was received from the Los Gatos/Monte Sereno Police Department:
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Thanks to the reader that sent this tip in - Los Gatos was featured on Good Morning America, with a story about Katsu. The new restaurant, occupying the space formerly known as Valeriano's, is making the news with a $1200 dinner.

Other readers have sent us notes about the $27 glass of wine, the $150 sashimi, and the mad dash to Pizza My Heart to quell their hungry belly. Have you been to Katsu? What do you think, is this an addition to our local scene that downtown needed?

To see the full report, click here. ...

Blacy’s Fine Jewelers was robbed at gunpoint just after noon today by two men wearing ski masks, gloves, and brandishing semi-automatic pistols. The suspects allegedly smashed display cases as they held the employees at gunpoint. They made off with an unspecified quantity of jewelry, but no one was hurt.
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InsideLG is committed to sharing all reader viewpoints, including the anonymous ones. The recent discussion regarding the value of using ones real name is a great example of just the kind exchange we love – healthy debate between those who love our town. And yes, InsideLG still allows anonymous comments to be posted.

As a result, we’ve been experiencing an increasing level of SPAM in our comments section. For the most part, the SPAM consists of indecipherable quasi-English gibberish, and most likely links that will cause your computer great harm. Please know that we are working on the problem, deleting them as fast as we can. In the mean time, please ignore them and don’t click on anything! We are also researching more effective tools to keep the SPAMmers out without making it too cumbersome for the rest of you. If any of our readers have suggestions and/or solutions, we're all ears.


Enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend!! ...

Things will be different. In recent years, Barbara Spector and Steve Leonardis have been outvoted on issues, as past-mayor Steve Rice and Diane McNutt have tended to vote with former mayor Joe Pirzynski. Last night, the gavel passed to Barbara, whose friend Marcia Jensen will replace Rice next month. Joe Pirzynski and Diane McNutt can expect to be outvoted at times. Both must stand for re-election in two years, and voters will likely remember the needless election of 2012.

It is not a stretch to label this the start of the Spector era in Los Gatos politics, and she warned everyone last night to get ready for a busy agenda in 2013. Her vice-mayor, Steve Leonardis is an up-and-comer, active and involved and showing real leadership on projects like the Oak Meadow flagpole. My forecast? The next four years will be lively, with a chance of getting things ...

Every week, InsideLG features StorySnoops, a Los Gatos based Company. To find out more information, please click HERE.

As this holiday in particular is one on which we count our blessings, I am going to start by being thankful for my fellow Snoops. Because of what we have collectively created, I am thankful that every day I get to do what I love and I get to share it with people who share my vision and my passion for books and reading. Thank you for being everything that you are ladies!

In the world of children’s and young adult literature, there is much to be thankful for! I am thankful for the truly exceptional books I have read for this site – for the ones that reminded me of valuable lessons, for the ones that brought me to tears, for the ones that made me laugh out loud, and for some remarkable characters that I will never forget.

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I didn't make it to the TC Meeting tonight; however, I was glued to my computer at home. I'd like to congratulate Los Gatos' new Mayor, Barbara Spector, and new Vice Mayor, Steve Leonardis. Also, Marcia Jensen will soon join the Town Council. Personally, I'm excited for 2013 -- good things are going to happen!




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I’ve received emails asking where I’ve been and why I don’t care anymore. I need to be honest with our readers. I give up. Oh, wait… no, that’s not it. I was offered a full-time position at a local corporation and I sold out accepted it. Yup, that sums it up. Because I’m striving for a balance with my home life vs. work life, I’ve taken a few steps back from InsideLG; however, you may have noticed that I have a new assistant – Pepper Potts. Potts, who wishes not to be named because shame comes on all those associated with me, will be posting from time to time. So, please give a huge applause to Potts – the keeper of my secrets.

Moving on… I plan to be at the Town Council meeting tonight. I was disappointed in a decision 4 out of 5 made at the last TC meeting (good old exemption of story poles from Winchester/Albright); however, I just couldn’t muster up enough energy to write about it. Tonight though… tonight will be interesting. The appointment of a new Mayor and Vice Mayor will take place. Barbara Spector will probably be voted ...

CLOSED SESSION

CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATOR (Government Code Section 54956.8) Properties: 110 E. Main Street (Former Library Building) Negotiating parties: Town of Los Gatos (Negotiator: Greg Larson, Town Manager) Los Gatos Museum (Negotiator: Executive Director) Friends of the Library (Negotiator: Chair) Under negotiation: Price and terms of lease

MEETING CALLED TO ORDER

ROLL CALL

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

2012 Santa Clara Valley Science and Engineering Fair Winners: Michael Hand, C.T. English Middle School, Shira Kahn-Samuelson, Kehillah Jewish High School, Hannah Spinner, Los Gatos High School, Sabera Talukder, Los Gatos High School

PRESENTATION

Commendations 2012 Santa Clara Valley Science and Engineering Fair Winners Awards > LEED Gold Certification for Town Library > Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting (CAFR) (Fiscal Year Ending: June 30, 2011)

CLOSED SESSION REPORT

TOWN COUNCIL

COUNCIL/TOWN MANAGER REPORTS
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Come out and support Second Harvest Food bank by dropping off a few cans at Kitsch Couture.
We have 3 barrels and are hoping that they are filled before they pick up on the 11/21

We are also participating with One Warm Coat this season. This organization collects coats for those in need during the winter months. So here's your chance to clean out those old coats and donate them to keep someone else warm this season.

We will be accepting donations at Kitsch Couture, on December 14 & 15th and receive 25% off a coat or sweater for participating.

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Thanks to Joe Friday, we have audio of the most recent LGUSD Board Workshop.

The agenda is linked from the LGUSD web site.

• Agenda

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3.1 - 3.4 Flag Salute, Report out of Closed Session, Approval of Agenda, Public Comment

3.5 Superintendent's Report

- Lori Ranieri's update on bond sales ...

The LGEF sponsored presentation by Bernie Trilling is tonight, at 7pm at Fisher Middle School.

Click Read More and scroll down to see the flyer for more details:

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I recently finished Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn and really loved it. I was completely engrossed from start to finish. I may have loved it a bit too much because I started feeling sorry for myself about the lack of literature written for adults in my must read pile. Being an optimistic person (and since I really have no choice), I realized that there a quite a few books I have read for StorySnoops that I actually would have chosen to read had I not been a writer of children’s book reviews. Here are some of the books we Snoops have read that may be enjoyed by teens and adults alike. Let us know what books for teens you’ve enjoyed. We’d love to add some slam-dunks to our piles!

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The following agenda can be found on the LGSUHSD website here:
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The following agenda can be found on the Town of Los Gatos website here:

Due to the length of our agenda and in fairness to later items on the agenda, the audience is requested to make their comments as brief and precise as possible, and limit them to 3 minutes or less.

AGENDA

TOWN OF LOS GATOS
PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING
TOWN COUNCIL CHAMBERS
110 E. MAIN STREET
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2012
7:00 P.M.

ROLL CALL

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF OCTOBER 24, 2012

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Now that this year’s General Election is for most of us just a distant memory, it’s about time for government (particularly our local government) to get back to the business of governance (def. the act of governing consisting of the separate processes of management and leadership).

That said, it is unfortunate that in recent months past, an attempted putsch (def. a sudden attempt by a group to overthrow the institutions of government), with the underlying objective of altering the traditional sequence of succession to the office of Vice-Mayor, manifested itself amongst the membership of our very own Town Council, leading some local observers to label the event as the playing out of dirty politics within Town Chambers.

When word of this event reached my ears, I was for the first time in my over two decades of living and raising a family in Los Gatos, ashamed to call myself a Los Gatan.

As this year comes to an end and a new year begins, with Vice-Mayor Barbara Spector having won re-election, and (soon to be former) Planning Commissioner Marcia having been ...

Congratulations to Marcia Jensen on her election to Town Council and to Barbara Spector on her re-election to Town Council. Both have worked hard to preserve the qualities of the town that we all find are the compelling reason to live here. Thanks to Steve Rice for his years of service on Town Council. We look forward to having Barbara Spector as Mayor for the next year given the normal rotation from her current post at Vice Mayor and to Steve Leonardis as Vice Mayor, on his rotation. 2013 will be a good year.

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The elections are finished and we have one new excellent councilperson soon joining the council in addition to re-electing another excellent councilperson, Barbara Spector. It is my understanding that the existing council will soon be naming the new mayor and vice-mayor. Because there was some acrimony when Ms. Spector was named vice-mayor last year, I am hoping that the transition will go much more smoothly this time.

I don’t believe there is a rule, nor law, as to how the succession happens, but rather the town has relied on custom and tradition. In the past, the vice-mayor (currently Ms. Spector) became the mayor, and the vice-mayor’s position was either a council person who had not been vice-mayor, or if all had been the vice mayor, it would likely be the person that had not been either mayor nor vice-mayor for the longest period of time. Steve Leonardis, until this last election, the newest councilperson, would be in line for the job of vice-mayor.

It is important to get the new council off to a smooth start in 2013 with ...