State of the Town Address

By Barbara Spector

Delivered January 22, 2008 by Mayor Barbara Spector

I'm going to skip to the end of my speech so you don't have any more suspense and tell you about what the State of the Town is going to be like in 2008. It is going to be dynamic, exciting, and challenging. As I go through what I consider the highlights of 2008, I am going to step back occasionally and put the projects in the context of Town processes. In 2008, the Town of Los Gatos will proceed with its police facility. The facility is the old Verizon building located on Los Gatos Boulevard. We hit the ground running in 2007, and are going through the planning approval process. This means that even the Chief of Police of Los Gatos has to go through the Planning Commission and eventually the Town Council. The police building at the Civic Center will remain, along with the one on Los Gatos Boulevard. I was working with staff to figure out how to simply explain what stays here and what goes there. Greg Larson made it succinct and said the Police Headquarters is where you go when you want to see the police. Police Operations is where you go when the police want to see you. We anticipate that the new police facility will be open in spring 2009.

In 2008, we will move forward with the new Library. I was driving around the Civic Center today before this meeting so I could visualize where the library would be. The best I can describe it is that it will be in back of the Civic Center, adjacent to Pageant Park. Our current library was built in the 1960's. At that time, the Town had a population of 9,000. We now have a population of 30,000. The new library will be built to better accommodate our needs and have a larger children's reading room, computer facilities, and student study areas. More importantly, it will be built without new taxes. As with the new police facility, the library will go through the Town Planning and Town Council approval process.

Los Gatos 2008 also includes updating the General Plan. The General Plan is the most important document the Town has. Everything we do must be consistent with the General Plan. The General Plan has "elements," but you can call them chapters. Chapters in the General Plan cover issues related to Housing, Transportation, and Open Space and Conservation. It is a local government best practice to update the General Plan every ten years. The updated General Plan will cover the period 2010 to 2020. The Council, when it met last year, agreed that the document continues to accurately reflect the policies of this Town, but needs some refinement as a result of current and future projects that may impact the General Plan. We will be adding some new chapters to address: the environment, youth, seniors, and recreation. I know there are a number of you here tonight that are interested in participating in the General Plan update process. We will make information available to the public as to what the opportunities are. It will be in the newspaper, Town website, and Vista, which is the paper the Town sends out twice a year.

In 2008, Los Gatos will be looking forward with "20/20" vision. Every year the Council has a retreat between January and March. It is an opportunity that we have for about a day in a less formal setting to talk to one another about key issues. This year it's going to be a little different. Rather than talk, we're going to listen. We are going to have a series of panels. First we will discuss the projected budget and potential revenue sources. Panels will focus on recreation, youth, seniors, and the environment. Our panels will explore anticipated Town interests and needs during the period 2010 to 2020, looking forward with "20/20" vision.

As mentioned, the Council has already decided that the General Plan will include an expanded discussion of the environment. In addition, we will establish our carbon emission baseline and reduction goals, and assess how best to reduce and measure our reductions. Last year, we determined that the Community Services Commission would monitor our environmental efforts. A sub-committee will be formed within the Community Services Commission composed of members from the Community Services Commission, the Planning Commission, the Parks Commission, and the Transportation Commission. That group will become an advisory group to the Council on environmental and climate control and sustainability issues. Lastly, Los Gatos will participate in the development of regional standards and practices for county-wide green building standards.

So far, I've stated that we have a dynamic year coming up, discussed key projects, and indicated we have challenges. Each year, our Budget Director, Steve Conway and his department analyze our projected revenues for July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009. Staff develops a budget based on the projected revenues and brings it to Council in the spring as a public hearing item for public input. Over the past eight years, when other governments have had challenges living within their budgets, Los Gatos has done very well because of our conservative approach. However, the challenge we are facing in 2008 is a reduction in our revenues and an increase in our expenses.

As you already know, the State projects a $14 billion shortfall. The Governor has stated that the State will not take funds from local government. However, when the state had a shortfall in the past, it took money from local governments which made it exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, for local governments to balance their budgets. In 2004, Prop 1A was passed, which now makes it difficult for the State to take local funds. Those of us who are in local government are very thankful that the Governor's budget proposal does not include state takeaways. Regardless, we will watch Sacramento with cautious eyes, waiting to see what happens. I don't want to sound like Chicken Little. I'm not saying, "The sky is falling." However, I feel we must be cautious in monitoring our revenues and our expenses. Yesterday we paved your streets, cleaned up your parks, and checked out your library books, and tomorrow we will clean your streets, clean your parks, and check out your library books.

I've said this before, but as your elected representatives, we not only attend meetings here in Town, but we go to meetings throughout the county and the region. And, some of us throughout the nation. Wherever I go, people say to me, "Man, I wish our town could be like your Town." And what they're talking about is the vibrancy of our downtown. However, over the past year, many of us have been asked: "What are you doing about those empty storefronts?" Well, first of all, they're not empty anymore. Putting that aside, what we must understand is that when you are seeing empty storefronts, it's because a tenant has moved out and that the property is going through a series of business transactions for whatever reason. The tenant turnover you see is not government controlled, but is due to economics and changes in the private sector. Having said that, I'd like to announce a new program that is going to be implemented by your new Town Manager, Greg Larson, and your new Mayor, Barbara Spector. Once a month, for the remainder of the year, we will meet with ten businesses that are important to Los Gatos to better understand their needs and economic perspective.

Los Gatos 2008 will have three elections, one in February, June, and November. These elections will cover many local, state and national issues. On February 5th, you'll be voting on two local initiatives: one concerning the Town Treasurer and the Town Clerk; and the other on the skateboard park. Everything that I have discussed and will discuss regarding issues facing Los Gatos this year will occur and be viewed in the context of the 2008 elections.

Now let me step back a little bit and talk from a personal perspective. In 2008, I will continue to support the Green Leaf Committee, which is comprised of residents and businesses from Los Gatos, Monte Sereno and Saratoga. The Green Leaf Committee was started by me, Erin Garner, and Ann Walton-Smith during our terms as Vice-Mayors. Within one month, the Committee received a $2500 grant from PG&E, developed a website with blogs, and led a competition amongst the three jurisdictions to encourage community conversion of LED holiday lights. Right now, this group is preparing its initiatives and projects for 2008. You can access the Website at http://www.westvalleygreenleaf.com. Another group that I will be following is Los Gatos Unleashed, which was formed in 2004 and has partnered with the Humane Society of Silicon Valley to bring a dog park to downtown Los Gatos. That website can be accessed at http://www.losgatosunleashed.org.

Let me conclude by saying that the beauty, history, and the vision of Los Gatos have always inspired its citizens. It inspires me as your Mayor to work as hard as I can on everything that I have discussed. I have no doubt that in 2008, this wonderful community will be inspired to meet the challenges of Los Gatos and will surpass all expectations. Thank you.