"It wasn't a neat or simple story. Some chapters were joyful. Kids walking through newly striped crosswalks on the way to school. Neighbors stretching together at Yoga in the Park. Volunteers turning Saratoga Nights into a real thing instead of just an idea in someone's notebook. The first episodes of the Saratoga History Podcast, with longtime residents sharing what this place meant to them long before Zillow and smartphones."
"Other chapters were harder. Hearing that two-thirds of West Valley College students are housing- or food-insecure and wondering how a community as fortunate as ours can do more. Meeting older neighbors aging in place on fixed incomes, in the same homes where they raised their kids, now mostly alone. Feeling the strain when the cost of living, the pace of change and the noise of national politics all seem to press in at once."
"If there's one word for how I feel at the end of this year, it's gratitude. Gratitude for the chance to serve the city I grew up in. Gratitude for our city staff, who show up every day to do what I consider glamorous work: permits, potholes, tree issues, emergency planning-the thousand tiny things that keep Saratoga quietly working. Gratitude for you-for the emails, the public comments, the ideas and yes, even the criticism when you felt we missed the mark."
Saratoga's year contained joyful and difficult chapters. Joyful moments included children using newly striped crosswalks, neighbors gathering for Yoga in the Park, volunteers making Saratoga Nights a real event, and the first Saratoga History Podcast episodes with longtime residents remembering life before Zillow and smartphones. Difficult chapters included two-thirds of West Valley College students facing housing or food insecurity, older neighbors aging in place on fixed incomes, and strain from rising costs, rapid change, and national political noise. Gratitude was expressed for city staff handling daily municipal work and for resident engagement, ideas, and criticism, with mayoral service defined by actions toward making the community kinder.
Read at The Mercury News
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