Special Meeting of the Town Council: Commissioner Interviews
Special MeetingLos Gatos, CA · December 6, 2023
Minutes
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
Minutes of the Town Council Special Meeting – Commissioner Interviews
December 6, 2023
The Town Council of the Town of Los Gatos conducted a special meeting in-person and utilizing
teleconferencing means on Tuesday, December 6, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. to interview applicants
and make appointments to Town Boards, Commissions, and Committees.
MEETING CALLED TO ORDER AT 6:00 P.M.
ROLL CALL
Present: Mayor Maria Ristow, Vice Mayor Mary Badame, Council Member Matthew Hudes,
Council Member Rob Moore, Council Member Rob Rennie.
Absent: None
VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS
No one spoke.
OTHER BUSINESS
1. Interview applicants and make appointments for the following Boards and Commissions:
Arts and Culture Commission; Community Heath and Senior Services; Complete Streets and
Transportation Commission; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commission; Historic
Preservation Committee; Library Board; Parks and Sustainability Commission; Personnel
Board; and Planning Commission.
Wendy Wood, Town Clerk, presented the staff report.
Council interviewed the following applicants for the vacant positions on Town Boards,
Commissions, and Committees.
Arts and Culture Commission
o Cristiano Colantoni
o Dornaz Mermarzia
Community Health and Senior Services Commission
o Gregory Gentile
o Richard Konrad
o Martha Sterne
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 408-354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
PAGE 2 OF 5
SUBJECT: Minutes of the Town Council Special Meeting of December 6, 2023 –
Commissioner Interviews
DATE: December 6, 2023
Board/Commission/Committee Appointments – continued
Complete Streets and Transportation Committee
o William (Bill) Ehlers
o Erik Miller
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
o Tony Alarcon (Faith Leader, Los Gatos Business Owner and Resident, Resident;
Planning Commission)
o Steven Bakota (Resident)
o Dominic Broadhead (Business Owner or Employee)
o Karen Delaney (Resident)
o Jamie Donofrio (Business Employee, Non-Profit Employee)
o Diane Fisher (Faith Leader)
o Varily Isaacs (Resident)
o Carmen Lo (Resident)
o Dornaz Memarzia (Resident; interviewed once with the Arts and Culture
Commission candidates)
o Folake Phillips (Resident, Non-Profit Employee)
o Johanes Swenberg (Resident)
o Gordon Yamate (Resident)
Historic Preservation Committee
o Gregory Gentile (interviewed once with the Community Health and Senior
Services Commission candidates)
o Lee Quintana
Library Board
o Richard Capatosto
o Sabiha Chunawala
o Megan Grasser
Parks and Sustainability Commission
o Craig Gleason
Personnel Board
o David Sabes
PAGE 3 OF 5
SUBJECT: Minutes of the Town Council Special Meeting of December 6, 2023 –
Commissioner Interviews
DATE: December 6, 2023
Board/Commission/Committee Appointments – continued
Planning Commission
o Tony Alarcon (interviewed once with the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Commission candidates)
o Adam Mayer
o Emily Thomas
The Council completed written ballots and provided them to the Town Clerk. Town Clerk Wood
read the appointments and votes as follows:
Arts and Culture Commission
o Cristiano Colantoni was appointed unanimously.
o Dornaz Mermarzia was appointed unanimously.
Community Health and Senior Services Commission
o Gregory Gentile received one (1) vote and was not appointed (Badame).
o Richard Konrad was appointed unanimously.
o Martha Sterne was appointed by four (4) votes (Ristow, Hudes, Rennie, and
Moore).
Complete Streets and Transportation Committee
o William (Bill) Ehlers was appointed by four (4) votes (Ristow, Badame, Rennie,
and Moore).
o Erik Miller was appointed unanimously.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
o Tony Alarcon (Faith Leader, Los Gatos Business Owner and Resident, Resident)
received one (1) vote and was not appointed (Rennie).
o Steven Bakota (Resident) was not appointed.
o Dominic Broadhead (Los Gatos Business Employee) was appointed by three (3)
votes (Ristow, Rennie, and Moore).
o Karen Delaney (Resident) was not appointed.
o Jamie Donofrio (Los Gatos Business Employee, Non-Profit Employee) received
two (2) votes for the Los Gatos business employee seat (Badame and Hudes)
and two (2) votes for the non-profit seat (Ristow and Moore) and was not
appointed.
o Diane Fisher (Faith Leader) was appointed unanimously.
o Varily Isaacs (Resident) was appointed by four (4) votes (Ristow, Badame,
Hudes, and Rennie).
PAGE 4 OF 5
SUBJECT: Minutes of the Town Council Special Meeting of December 6, 2023 –
Commissioner Interviews
DATE: December 6, 2023
Board/Commission/Committee Appointments – continued
o Carmen Lo (Resident) was appointed by four (4) votes (Badame, Hudes, Rennie
and Moore).
o Dornaz Memarzia (Resident) was not appointed.
o Folake Phillips (Resident, Non-Profit Employee) received two (2) votes for
resident seat (Ristow and Moore) and three (3) votes for non-profit employee
seat (Badame, Hudes, and Rennie) and was appointed to the non-profit
employee seat.
o Johanes Swenberg (Resident) received two (2) votes and was not appointed.
(Badame and Hudes).
o Gordon Yamate (Resident) was appointed by three (3) votes (Ristow, Rennie,
and Moore).
Historic Preservation Committee
o Gregory Gentile received two (2) votes and was not appointed (Hudes and
Rennie).
o Lee Quintana was appointed by three (3) votes (Ristow, Badame, and Moore).
Library Board
o Richard Capatosto was appointed unanimously.
o Sabiha Chunawala was appointed by four (4) votes (Ristow, Hudes, Rennie, and
Moore).
o Megan Grasser received one (1) vote and was not appointed (Badame).
Parks and Sustainability Commission
o Craig Gleason was appointed unanimously.
Personnel Board
o David Sabes was appointed unanimously.
Planning Commission
o Tony Alarcon received two (2) votes and was not appointed (Badame and
Hudes).
o Adam Mayer was appointed unanimously.
o Emily Thomas was appointed by three (3) votes (Ristow, Rennie, and Moore).
PAGE 5 OF 5
SUBJECT: Minutes of the Town Council Special Meeting of December 6, 2023 –
Commissioner Interviews
DATE: December 6, 2023
MOTION: Motion by Mayor Ristow to conduct the recruitment for the current openings
before the Youth Commission recruitment as soon as practical; and decouple
Finance Commission recruitment from the general recruitment, leaving it open
until filled. Seconded by Council Member Rennie.
VOTE: Motion passed unanimously.
MOTION: Motion by Vice Mayor Badame to the Council Policy Committee to review the
interview and appointment process for Boards, Commissions, and Committees
(Council Policy 2-11). Seconded by Council Member Moore.
VOTE: Motion passed unanimously.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 11:04 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted:
_____________________________________
/s/ Jenna De Long, Deputy Town Clerk
Agenda
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE TOWN COUNCIL: COMMISSIONER
INTERVIEWS AGENDA
DECEMBER 06, 2023
110 EAST MAIN STREET AND VIA TELECONFERENCE
LOS GATOS, CA
6:00 PM
Maria Ristow, Mayor
Mary Badame, Vice Mayor PARTICIPATION IN THE PUBLIC PROCESS
Matthew Hudes, Council Member
Rob Moore, Council Member
Rob Rennie, Council Member
How to participate: The Town of Los Gatos strongly encourages your active participation in the
public process, which is the cornerstone of democracy. If you wish to speak to an item on the
agenda, please follow the participation instructions on page 2 of this agenda. If you wish to speak
to an item NOT on the agenda, you may do so during the “Verbal Communications” period, by
following the participation instructions on page 2 of this agenda. The time allocated to speakers
may change to better facilitate the Town Council meeting.
Effective Proceedings: The purpose of the Town Council meeting is to conduct the business of
the community in an effective and efficient manner. For the benefit of the community, the Town
of Los Gatos asks that you follow the Town’s meeting guidelines while attending Town Council
meetings and treat everyone with respect and dignity. This is done by following meeting
guidelines set forth in State law and in the Town Code. Disruptive conduct is not tolerated,
including but not limited to: addressing the Town Council without first being recognized;
interrupting speakers, Town Council or Town staff; continuing to speak after the allotted time
has expired; failing to relinquish the podium when directed to do so; and repetitiously addressing
the same subject.
Deadlines for Public Comment and Presentations are as follows:
Persons wishing to make an audio/visual presentation on any agenda item must submit the
presentation electronically, either in person or via email, to the Clerk’s Office no later than
3:00 p.m. on the day of the Council meeting.
Persons wishing to submit written comments to be included in the materials provided to
Town Council must provide the comments as follows:
o For inclusion in the regular packet: by 11:00 a.m. the Thursday before the Council
meeting
o For inclusion in any Addendum: by 11:00 a.m. the Monday before the Council meeting
o For inclusion in any Desk Item: by 11:00 a.m. on the day of the Council Meeting
Town Council Meetings Broadcast Live on KCAT, Channel 15 (on Comcast) on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m.
Rebroadcast of Town Council Meetings on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m.
Live & Archived Council Meetings can be viewed by going to:
www.LosGatosCA.gov/TownYouTube
IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT, IF YOU NEED SPECIAL ASSISTANCE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS MEETING,
PLEASE CONTACT THE CLERK DEPARTMENT AT (408) 354-6834. NOTIFICATION 48 HOURS BEFORE THE MEETING WILL ENABLE THE TOWN
TO MAKE REASONABLE ARRANGEMENTS TO ENSURE ACCESSIBILITY TO THIS MEETING [28 CFR §35.102-35.104]
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TOWN OF LOS GATOS
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE TOWN COUNCIL: COMMISSIONER INTERVIEWS AGENDA
DECEMBER 06, 2023
110 EAST MAIN STREET
TOWN COUNCIL CHAMBERS AND VIA TELECONFERENCE
6:00 PM
IMPORTANT NOTICE
This is a hybrid meeting and will be held in-person at the Town Council Chambers at 110 E.
Main Street and virtually through the Zoom webinar application (log-in information provided
below). Members of the public may provide public comments for agenda items in-person or
virtually through the Zoom webinar by following the instructions listed below. The live stream
of the meeting may be viewed on Zoom only.
PARTICIPATION
To provide oral comments in real-time during the meeting:
Zoom webinar: Join from a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone or Android device: Please click this
URL to join: https://losgatosca-
gov.zoom.us/j/82142537745?pwd=7E0o67_wep1wBGcMg2SmsB8H3ezj6A.6qToWeG
SR0ZSRJtJ Passcode: 030387 You can also type in 821 4253 7745 in the “Join a
Meeting” page on the Zoom website at https://zoom.us/join.
o When the Mayor announces the item for which you wish to speak, click the “raise
hand” feature in Zoom. If you are participating by phone on the Zoom app, press *9
on your telephone keypad to raise your hand.
Join by telephone: Join by Telephone: Dial: USA 877 336 1839 US Toll-free or 636 651
0008 US Toll. Conference code: 686100
o If you are participating by calling in, press #2 on your telephone keypad to raise your
hand.
In-Person: If you wish to speak during the meeting, please complete a “speaker’s
card” located on the back of the chamber benches and return it to the Town Clerk. If
you wish to speak to an item on the agenda, please list the item number. The time
allocated to speakers may change to better facilitate the Town Council meeting.
When called to speak, you may be asked to provide your full name and your town/city
of residence. This identifying information is optional and not a requirement for
participation. Please limit your comments to three (3) minutes, or such other time as
the Mayor may decide, consistent with the time limit for speakers at a Council
meeting.
If you are unable to participate in real-time, you may email to Clerk@losgatosca.gov
the subject line “Public Comment Item #__ ” (insert the item number relevant to your
comment). Comments received by 11:00 a.m. the day of the meeting will be reviewed
and distributed before the meeting. All comments received will become part of the
record.
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MEETING CALL TO ORDER
ROLL CALL
APPROVE REMOTE PARTICIPATION (This item is listed on the agenda in the event there is an
emergency circumstance requiring a Council Member to participate remotely under AB 2449
(Government Code 54953)).
VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS (Members of the public may address the Committee only on the
agenda items. Each speaker is limited to no more than three (3) minutes or such time as
authorized by the Mayor.)
OTHER BUSINESS
1. Interview Applicants and Make Appointments for the Following Boards and
Commissions: Arts and Culture Commission; Community Heath and Senior Services;
Complete Streets and Transportation Commission; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Commission; Historic Preservation Committee; Library Board; Parks and Sustainability
Commission; Personnel Board; and Planning Commission.
APPOINTMENTS
ADJOURNMENT (Council policy is to adjourn no later than midnight unless a majority of Council
votes for an extension of time.)
Writings related to an item on the Town Council meeting agenda distributed to members of the Council within
24 hours of the meeting are available for public inspection at the front desk of the Los Gatos Town Library,
located at 100 Villa Avenue, and are also available for review on the official Town of Los Gatos website. Copies
of desk items distributed to members of the Council at the meeting are available for review in the Town Council
Chambers.
Note: The Town of Los Gatos has adopted the provisions of Code of Civil Procedure §1094.6; litigation
challenging a decision of the Town Council must be brought within 90 days after the decision is announced
unless a shorter time is required by State or Federal law.
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