Jonathan is a member of the Santa Clara County Consumer Affairs Commission. Commissioner Knowles serves as an advisor to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors with 8 other community members giving input on legislative proposals and on issues such as net neutrality, personal data privacy, and media consolidation. The commission also works with federal, state, county, city and other public and private agencies regarding deceptive or unfair trade practices in Santa Clara County.

Jonathan is a former member of the Town of Los Gatos Arts and Culture Commission serving as an advisor to the Los Gatos Town Council regarding arts and cultural programs in the community.

Jonathan serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Los Gatos Music and Arts, producers of "jazz on the plazz", and "Music in the Park." Jazz on the plazz is a 10 week, Wednesday evening summer concert series held in the Los Gatos Town Plaza Park. This free world class jazz concert series attracts between 2500 and 3000 people each week. Music in the Park, is the popular 10 week, Sunday afternoon free summer concert series that celebrated its 20 year anniversary in 2008. This concert series, held on the lawn of the Town of Los Gatos Civic Center, attracts between 3000 and 5000 people each week. Los Gatos Music and Arts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring, nurturing, developing, and facilitating artistic programs for the benefit of the community of Los Gatos.

In addition to his arts involvement, Jonathan also serves as the President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Foundation. The Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, aids the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department with tools and resources required for the delivery of quality programs and services that promote public safety, community education and awareness, and emergency response. Eleven residents of Los Gatos and Monte Sereno, and the Chief of Police serve on the Foundation Board.

As Co-Chair of the Advisory Steering Committee for the Capital Campaign working with the Friends of the Los Gatos Public Library, Jonathan works with others who are committed to raising the standard of excellence of our library and related literary and educational programs by funding programs and services beyond what is allocated in the Town's budget.

As Project Lead for Los Gatos Unleashed, Jonathan works with other community volunteers to promote the dog friendly nature of Los Gatos, promote responsible dog ownership, and educate people about the benefits of off leash activities for dogs. Los Gatos Unleashed sponsors "Los Perros for a Day" each spring as "the town of the cats, goes to the dogs" and works with Society Dog to produce "Howling Halloween", the annual dog costume party that atracts 1000 dogs and their owners to the Town of Los Gatos.

Jonathan also maintains a planter in downtown Los Gatos with his wife Kelly, is the Curator of TEDxLosGatos, volunteers as an interpretive naturalist docent for the California State Parks at Big Basin Redwoods State Park in the Santa Cruz mountains and is a volunteer Registered Disaster Service Worker and Assistant Emergency Coordinator radio communications operator for Los Gatos-Monte Sereno ARES/RACES and Mutual Aid Communicator for Santa Clara County ARES/RACES in the Office of Emergency Services.

On a lighter note Jonathan is the Big Kahuna and Grand Pooh-Bah of the Los Gatos Social Club, President of The Saint Andrew's Society of Los Gatos, proprietor of the Golden Tiki at Casa Knowles, an officer in the Los Gatos Vesparados, founder of Pena de Los Gatos, a HAM radio operator, PADI Rescue Diver, world traveler, and avid photographer.