A New Year – We made it.
Congratulations Los Gatos! Like me, you may have woken up on January 1st and thought “Now What”? I would love to tell you the future for our Town is looking bright, but based on the State’s COVID dashboard numbers, we have a few more miles to go before we reach the end of this dark tunnel. Now, more than ever, the whole situation feels kind of surreal. Economists predict that once we turn the corner with the pandemic and the vaccine has been widely distributed, life will return to "normal". Sure, let’s dream for that day, but we have to prepare for it as well.
We all have an opportunity next Tuesday night to share with the Town Council ideas and initiatives that will help shape our recovery. The Council is considering Economic and Community Recovery at this meeting. Now is the time, if there ever was one, to step up and help. So many of you have shared your ideas with me, but I can only do so much (and only have 3 minutes!). The Council members need to hear your ideas from you so they can be confident in the direction they choose to go and know they are representing the interests of their constituents.
I don’t care what political party you favor at this point We have all witnessed our national government flounder when it comes to rolling out any sort of plan to deal with this pandemic, our state government has not done much better and our County leaders continue to drag their feet. The only place in which we can make a real difference is in our own homes, our own neighborhoods, our communities and our towns.
So here is my challenge to you - Zoom into the Council Meeting next Tuesday night, January 19th. Click here for the agenda and Zoom link (available starting Friday, Jan. 15).
- Have an idea or two that you would like to share
- Speak up
Ideas to consider for the short and long term:
- Downtown Streetscape Revitalization Projects – sidewalks, public art, more lighting, planters, outdoor dining and parklets
- Old Town - ideas for its future
- Small Business Relief Fund
- Los Gatos Boulevard revival
- Events - Film Festival, Art Festival, Music Festival
- Parking and Directional Signage
- Senior Services
See you next Tuesday. Please do not hesitate to call me in the meantime if you have an idea you would like to discuss. The Chamber office is open.
In other news...
- Join us for our first virtual networking mixer of the year on January 26.
- The second round of PPP Loans and other grants are now available. If you need help with filling out the forms, you can call our office and we can try to help.
- Rally for Restaurants!
All details below...
Good bye 2020. We hope we don't get a repeat of you for awhile. That said, we learned a lot. We became tougher. We started to have some of those uncomfortable conversations about who we are and who want to be. Let’s finish those discussions this year and then get on with things. Being honest and transparent, digging deep to figure out what matters is hard, but we can do it. We Got This LG!
Catherine Somers
Executive Director
Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce
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Multi-Chamber Virtual Mixer
Tuesday, January 26
with the SVO, Campbell, Gilroy, Cupertino, Mountain View, Milpitas, Sunnyvale, Morgan Hill & Saratoga Chambers
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Let's get together for the first time in the new year! Join us for this virtual networking mixer!
Even in this uncertain time, it's important to keep growing our networks and keep up with one another - while following social distancing guidelines. Join us for this multi-chamber virtual networking event from the comfort of your favorite chair, couch, home office or kitchen counter!
Attendees will be randomly split into small breakout rooms where they will have 10 minutes to network with one another. There will be a few rounds to give attendees the opportunity to meet new people, exchange ideas, explore partnerships or just chat.
FREE to attend!
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Thank You
Linda L. Lester & Lester Square!
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The Chamber would like to extend a huge thank you to Linda L. Lester and Lester Square. Linda is a big supporter of the Chamber! This past year she invested in many of our endeavors and is always looking out for our local businesses.
Support the businesses at Lester Square when you can!
Thank you Linda!
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Thank you Dave Hernandez!
Los Gatos Auto Service
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Did you know that every year Dave from Los Gatos Auto Service builds our Carriage Ride shed? And he stores it the rest of the year. We certainly couldn't do it without him! Thank you Dave!
P.S. He also services all our cars!
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Your favorite restaurants are suffering as a result of the COVID-19 health crisis. Sales are down across the country, and jobs are at risk. You can help. Support your local restaurant and order takeout, buy a gift card, or rally your government officials to take action so local restaurants have a chance to survive.
Rally for Restaurants is a free, online platform that allows customers to buy gift cards or order online from their favorite local restaurant. There are currently over 100 restaurants in the area, including some in Los Gatos, listed on the platform. We’d love your help spreading the word!
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How to support your local restaurant on Rally for Restaurants:
- Visit the website below and search by zip code.
- You can order takeout or buy a gift card directly from the Rally for Restaurants platform.
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How to sign up as a restaurant:
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Click Here to add your restaurant to the platform. Your entry should be live 48 hours after your submission.
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You can also submit multiple restaurants by emailing a CSV file.
- You do not have to be a Toast customer in order to be listed, but if you are looking for a point-of-sale system for gift cards, Toast is offering their software free for 3 months.
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No Cost
COVID testing
January 21
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Los Gatos at the Holidays |
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Cathy Jackson, of Cathy Jackson Group, Intero Real Estate, made a perfect video capturing Los Gatos at the holidays. It features our light displays and downtown.
Cathy is a big proponent of shopping local and of course, a Chamber member. Check out her 12 Days of Shopping Local on her Facebook Page. |
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Friends of the Library
Book Sale
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Rotary Club of Los Gatos
Virtual WineFest - January 30
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Click Here to see the most recent Order by the State. This order was triggered by an ICU capacity drop below 15%. The Stay Home order mandate will remain in effect at least until our ICU capacity rises above 15%. Currently, the Bay Area has 7.4% ICU availability.
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For the latest updates, please visit Santa Clara County Public Health. |
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Town of Los Gatos website |
The Town of Los Gatos has compiled a very comprehensive page of Covid-19 messages and resources. It outlines how all the Town departments are functioning throughout this crisis. In addition, it has resources for businesses and individuals, as well as ways you can volunteer. |
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Need information from one of our past newsletters? Click below for the last 3-4 months (before that email us).
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COMMUNITY IMPACT PARTNERS |
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