Tuesday, May 8, 2012
She joins Los Gatos Planning Commission Chairwoman Marcia Jensen in her bid for the Los Gatos Town Council this upcoming November.
Vice Mayor Barbara Spector announced this morning that she will be seeking re-election to the Los Gatos Town Council in the upcoming Nov. 6 election. She joins Los Gatos Planning Commission Chairwoman Marcia Jensen in her bid for the two seats that are up for re-election this year. The other slot is held by Los Gatos Mayor Steve Rice, whose four-year term expires this year. Spector has served Los Gatos for nearly 20 years as mayor, vice mayor, councilmember and planning Commissioner. In those roles she helped establish the Town's ordinances, standards and General Plan, all of which created the vision that has preserved Los Gatos' beauty, she said. “However,” Spector explained, “in the past several years that vision has been challenged. …
Friday, April 27, 2012
This government leader has dedicated nearly 20 years of service to the town she loves and calls home since 1973.
Editor's Note: Who are the movers and shakers in Los Gatos? Those who lead by example, change things around and make us better by challenging the status quo and having integrity? Today we launch our Most Influential feature profiling in five questions and answers those who push boundaries and influence change for the better. Los Gatos Vice Mayor Barbara Spector settled in Los Gatos with her husband, Ira, in 1973. She served as a member of the Los Gatos Planning Commission between 1980 and 1988. During her tenure, the Commission developed new zoning ordinances, the Hillside Plan, the Downtown Specific Plan, and a revised General Plan to protect the town's hillsides, historic homes, neighborhoods and local businesses. In 2004, she was …
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
The Los Gatos Town Council unanimously adopts vision for development of land next to Los Gatos Boulevard and a set of guiding principles for use of old library building at the Civic Center.
The Los Gatos Town Council voted unanimously Monday evening to approve a set of guiding principles for the use of the old library building that stress the facility should add to the quality of life of its residents and be synergetic with other Civic Center uses. The guidelines were established by a Council ad-hoc committee made up of Vice Mayor Barbara Spector and Councilmember Diane McNutt to establish the best use of the 47-year-old building and the process for how community organizations could apply to use it as a gathering place. According to the staff report prepared by Town Manager Greg Larson, the two-story library building, built in 1965, is approximately 11,900 square feet. In the report, the town says it needs office space for …
Monday, February 27, 2012
Councilwoman Diane McNutt and Vice Mayor Barbara Spector form subcommittee to draft vision statement for huge swath of land in north Los Gatos.
A new vision statement for the huge swath of land north of town that has come to be known as the North 40 has began taking shape thanks to the creation of a subcommittee made up of Gatos Councilwoman Diane McNutt and Vice Mayor Barbara Spector. The subcommittee was formed after the Council held a study session Feb. 13 and voted, at the urging of Mayor Steve Rice, to have the women help figure out what perhaps will be one of the most important land-use decisions in town history. The land is located on Los Gatos Boulevard and is privately owned by walnut orchardist Tom Yuki and other parties who plan to develop it with the help of London-based Grosvenor Americas. It's bounded roughly by Los Gatos Boulevard to the east, Highway 85 to the …
Monday, January 30, 2012
The Los Gatos Town Council sets strategic goals for next two years Saturday during annual council retreat.
Budget adjustments, the creation of a business improvement district, the re-use of the old library building and the process for crafting a vision statement for the North 40 Specific Plan were among the top priorities of the Los Gatos Town Council Saturday morning as it gathered for its annual retreat at the Los Gatos Police Operations Building. According to a memo prepared by Town Manager Greg Larson, the Council holds a half-day retreat early in the year to review strategic goals and budget priorities for the next two years. Larson and Mayor Steve Rice, who serves on the Council Finance Committee, presented the council with a list of $12 million worth of potential budget adjustments, each around $100,000 that were rank ordered by and …
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Council grants apartment complex owners 50 additional units after they meet state density bonus requirement.
The Los Gatos Town Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to allow the owners of the Riviera Terrace apartment complex to expand by 50 additional units. The decision came after the Council found that the complex owners, Sobrato Interests, meet the state law that allows a housing density bonus for property owners who provide at least 20 percent of their units at a below-market price rate. The town’s Planning Commission rejected the proposal at a Sept. 14 meeting, however, the town’s Planning Department recommended that the Council approve the expansion due to the density bonus statute. Of the 50 proposed expansion units, 25 are planned to be affordable housing, 24 are planned below-market price, and one is planned to be a moderate-priced …
Monday, January 16, 2012
Successor agency has been created to help Los Gatos retain vacant Dittos Lane and West Main Street parking properties.
The Los Gatos Town Council voted unanimously last week to create a successor entity that will replace the now dissolved Redevelopment Agency allowing the municipality to retain the vacant Dittos Lane property and the downtown parking property on West Main Street. Los Gatos Mayor Steve Rice said the move would give the Council the ability to make sure the town's bondholders are paid in a timely manner for RDA bonds that are outstanding and maintain its excellent credit rating. "If we had not done what we did [last] Monday, those properties would have come under the control of the Santa Clara County Housing Authority and the state housing body," he said. Agreed Vice Mayor Barbara Spector, who noted that it's important that the town, rather …
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Vice Mayor Barbara Spector says due to state high court ruling, town library may be last public asset built with redevelopment funds.
Los Gatos Vice Mayor Barbara Spector decried this week's decision by the California Supreme Court to uphold a law that dissolves redevelopment agencies and seizes $1.7 billion in revenue. Spector, who served as mayor in 2007 and is poised to become the town's top political leader in 2013, said redevelopment funds have helped Los Gatos rebuild its downtown following the 1989 earthquake and make possible other public infrastructure upgrades. "Our new town library may be the final, and perhaps most visible, community asset made possible by RDA funding. There do remain, however, many issues to be resolved following the court’s decision, which the Council will be analyzing and addressing in the next several months," Spector said. Los Gatos …
Friday, December 30, 2011
Thanks to Los Gatos Patch reader Ira Spector for sending in this interesting photo of a crow resting on a table at the local McDonald's restaurant.
Ira Spector shot this great photo of a crow at the Los Gatos McDonald's restaurant on Los Gatos Boulevard. He wanted to share it with our Los Gatos Patch online family. Ira is the husband of Los Gatos Vice Mayor Barbara Spector. Crows are considered to be pretty smart birds. As evidenced by this photo, this one has an open beak as if making a call. It seems to be taking a break and choosing this spot along the boulevard to grab a morsel of food.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Town is in the process of developing a Sustainability Plan.
Practicality, funding and compliance with state legislation were the main concerns of the Los Gatos Town Council as it held a special study session Monday afternoon to develop a Sustainability Plan as directed by the 2020 General Plan. Consultants Joanna Jensen and Nicole Vermilion, of Berkeley-based The Planning Center DC&E, presented nine different town operation measures for the plan and gave council members a chance to weigh in on each. “The purpose of this meeting is to present a laundry list of measures to the council,” said Los Gatos Town Manager Greg Larson. “We want to know which measures are worthy and which are not so we can take them off our plate and focus on the ones that are.” Council members Joe Pirzynski and Diane McNutt …
Maria Ristow
11:41 pm on Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Los Gatos residents are fortunate to have Barbara on the Town Council. She listens to everyone who speaks at the Council meetings, works hard to balance the needs in this town, strives to maintain what most of us cherish about our town, and understands the laws and guidelines that exist. Thank you for offering us another 4 years of your valuable time, Barbara! more ›