Los Gatan June 5 2024

LG’S HOUSING ELEMENT NEARS THE FINISH LINE, 1,667 UNITS MAY BYPASS TOWN’S

PLANNING RULES

State says it will certify Los Gatos’ Latest Housing Element Draft

Drew Penner, Editor

As Los Gatos prepared to finally adopt a compliant Housing Element on Tuesday—after 20 residential proposals were submitted during the purgatory period when the Silicon Valley community was out of line with State law, including a live one that includes a 12-story building— questions swirled about who is to blame for the 1,667 units that could be developed with fewer restrictions than normal.

In an email sent out on June 3, Councilmember Rob Moore emphasized the delays he’s found frustrating as he’s pushed to finalize a plan to allow for managed residential growth.

“Once the Town Council adopts this draft, Los Gatos will no longer be subject to the Builder’s Remedy (a state law that allows for building beyond local development standards),” he said. “I wish we could have completed this a lot sooner, but

PANDEMIC-ERA STARTUPS FLOURISH IN LOS GATOS

From cybersecurity to managing property, entrepreneurs shake things up

Sarah Lai Stirland, Contributor

You can’t control what you can’t identify. Four years ago, Los Gatos entrepreneur Tarun Takur used this insight to build Veza, a cybersecurity company that maps access to a compa -

ny's knowledge and tools, so businesses can keep track of who’s allowed to do what.

The pandemic obscured the future. Thakur decided to go ahead and start his company anyway at his house near Blossom Hill Park. That’s still the company’s head office.

“We didn’t know whether offices would exist anymore, and so for us, we just started with a brand-new playbook, which was, We’re just going to build

a remote-first company ,” said Takur, the founder and CEO.

“We made my home the company headquarters.”

Veza is part of a wider cycle of creative business destruction that began as the novel coronavirus arrived. The enduring explosion of entrepreneurial activity has been documented by the Census Bureau and the Department of Labor Statistics.

➝ Startups, 16

NATURAL LIGHT PURE Property Management co-founder Joe Polverari at his desk in Old Town Los Gatos on Tuesday morning.

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Beautifully remodeled Belwood home with Valley & City light views. Formal entry with stone tile floors. Formal living room & formal dining room. Gourmet chef's kitchen with custom white glazed cabinets, large center island, slab granite counters, tumbled marble back-splash, 6 burner gas cook-top, oven/microwave, pantry, bench seating, breakfast nook. Kitchen/family room combo with built-in cabinetry & gas fireplace. Hardwood floors throughout. 1st floor bedroom & full stone tiled bathroom. 4 bedrooms, primary suite, and office on 2nd level. Home expanded to accommodate a spacious primary suite with a walk-in closet, romantic primary bath, double sinks, separate tub, large walk-in tiled shower, private viewing deck. Inside laundry room with built-in cabinetry & wash basin. Crown moulding & recessed lighting. Separate storage building. Landscape lighting, fresh & mature exterior landscaping. Belwood Pool & Cabana Association. Close to Belgatos Park & Santa Rosa/Heintz Trail. Excellent Schools.

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Dan Pulcrano

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A

Big Community Thank You for a Spectacular Grad Night Celebration!

The Class of 2024 will graduate from Los Gatos High School on June 7. Grad Night, hosted by parents and guardians, will be from 10:30 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. on campus. For over 37 years, this event has been a safe, sober, fun, and unforgettable celebration. Activities include games, music, dancing, food, and raffle prizes. We acknowledge that the event may cause some noise, but we hope you consider this a minor inconvenience for a great cause. We appreciate your understanding and support.

Gratitude to our sponsors

Also, a big thank you to The Teacher Band, Kevin Buchanan, Kristi Grasty, the staff and teachers of LGHS, Toby Mockler, Julie Grenier, others at LGSUHSD, Dan Pinschmidt and the hundreds of parents and volunteers who have generously dedicated their time and resources.

LOS GATAN RECEIVES CNPA AWARD NOMINATION

Staff Report

The Los Gatan has earned its first-ever California News Publishers Association award nomination, in the 2023 California Journalism Awards contest.

Designer Hon Truong was recognized in the Print Inside Page Layout & Design category for work with this Los Gatos community title. He was also nominated, alongside Todd Guild, Tarmo Hannula, Johanna Miller and former Los Gatan editor Erik Chalhoub, for Print Front Page Layout & Design with Watsonville-based sister publication the Pajaronian, which falls in a different division.

According to CNPA, the California Journalism Awards are designed to provide “the opportunity for publishers and editors to promote excellence in journalism and recognize their staffs’ outstanding work to inform and enlighten their readers through reporting, design, photography and multimedia in print and online.”

Entries must have been published between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2023. Finalists were revealed May 29.

Another Weeklys paper, East Bay Express, received five nominations. Good Times Santa Cruz racked-up six nominations, including in the General Excellence category. Executive Editor Dan Pulcrano earned six nominations across multiple titles.

Guild, Chalhoub and Hannula, who all contributed to the Los Gatan over the past year, were nominated for a Breaking News award for a Pajaronian entry.

Metro Silicon Valley, which is distributed throughout Los Gatos, brought home eight nominations, including in the In-Depth Reporting and Feature categories, thanks to reporting from Nikki Silverstein, Pulcrano, Michael Moore and now-Los Gatan Editor Drew Penner.

The Los Gatan released its inaugural issue on Sept. 1, 2021.

SCHOOL STILL HAS SUMMER CAMP SPACES AVAILABLE

Local educational institution celebrating a quarter-century in operation

Staff Report

Stratford School’s Los Gatos campuses are kicking-off their Summer@ Stratford summer camp programs this week.

And officials tell the Los Gatan there’s still time to register your child

at www.stratfordschools.com/summer.

Stratford School is celebrating its 25th year in operation in the Bay Area.

The Los Gatos Belgatos Park location opened last year to serve preschool to kindergarten students (including transitional kindergarten).

The campus is planning to add additional grade levels each year, up to 5th grade.

The original Los Gatos campus (which enrolls preschool through 4th grade), is located on Kensington Way.

Stratford’s STEAM curriculum is designed to inspire young minds through creative exploration, handson learning, art and a sense of play, according to officials.

The school is enrolling for the fall, with full-day and extended-day options. Because class sizes are kept small, space is limited. Tours are available throughout the week.

Visit StratfordSchools.com to learn more.

EL CAMINO HEALTH NAMES TRACEY LEWIS TAYLOR ITS COO

HOSPITAL OFFICIAL Tracey Lewis Taylor received the 2021 ACHE Regents Award.

Staff Report

El Camino Health announced today it has named Tracey Lewis Taylor its new chief operating officer.

“We’re thrilled to add someone with Tracey’s operational experience and leadership skills to our organization,” said Dan Woods, chief executive officer at El Camino Health in

a release. “Tracey is a visionary with an outstanding track record as a hospital executive. She will play a vital role in advancing our services and strengthening our commitment and efforts to delivering exceptional care to our patients.”

Her first day was May 20. Taylor will provide leadership and oversight of hospital operations,

including clinical inpatient areas, nursing, facilities and the pharmacy, among other duties. She'll be responsible for leading initiatives across the health system and improving efficiency, while maintaining patient satisfaction levels.

“El Camino Health has an outstanding reputation and a strong foundation of support from the communities it serves,” Taylor said in the release. “This is an organization with a deep commitment to raising the bar in delivering patient care. I look forward to working with an exceptional team of leaders and innovators and helping to build upon the health system’s successes.”

Prior to joining El Camino Health, Taylor served as chief operating officer at Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley. During her tenure, Tracey was responsible for establishing the organization’s five-year strategic plan, as well as the annual operational plan. She was also in charge of providing strategic leadership and management for all hospital operations.

Before that, Taylor held leadership roles with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, including vice president of operations.

Taylor earned a Master of Public Health in Policy and Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology from Emory University in Atlanta. She is also board certified as a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) and Taylor is the recipient of the 2021 ACHE Regents Award from the California Association of Healthcare Leaders.

Courtesy of El Camino Health

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WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A PARK RANGER?

Alex Hapke shares what goes into protecting and showing-off biodiversity

Dinah Cotton, Contributor

Just three miles south—or 11 minutes away—from downtown Los Gatos, we have Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve, nearly 1,500 acres of unbridled nature. It features six miles of hiking and equestrian trails that meander along perennial creeks. This acreage was acquired for us through Midpeninsula Open Space (Midpen), their nonprofit partner Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), grassroot supporters and a coalition of environmental advocates. In 1999, POST purchased this property to protect it for us to enjoy.

Midpen’s motto is: “Together We Care for the Land that Cares for Us.” And they do care for us. It takes a strong belief in respecting the land to become a ranger with the organization. Rangers also educate the general population on caring for our open spaces.

Last week, I caught up with Lead Ranger Alex Hapke at Midpen’s Skyline Field Office, located just off State Route 35—also known as Skyline Road. It looks a bit like the Mash headquarters without tents. I head to the training and meeting building, where Rolo the pet gopher snake greets me in the lobby. Outside, a water tower stands next to some serious-looking trucks with tanks. There are mowers for maintaining trails next to equipment for repairs. Nearby, the Alpine Pond is a hands-on nature center, a popular school field trip destination.

Hapke, 44, first became interested in working outdoors at a young age. “Having hiked the John Muir Trail at 21 (located almost, entirely, in Yosemite National Park), I realized that I wanted to be a park ranger, and so I went through multiple colleges to get a degree in forestry with the intention to become a park ranger,” he said. “When I went to the academy, it was 12-13 weeks of training.” It’s a grueling process, and many do not make it to the finish line. The “defensive tactics” training is quite challenging, for one, he notes.

Afterwards, Hapke attended the Santa Rosa Academy, “—which has since closed so now we are sending

folks to the Colorado Academy,” he said. Rangers are certainly more qualified than many may presume. So, first a bachelor's degree in a related field, then successful completion at the Park Ranger Law Enforcement Academy Training Program. Specific Basic Training and Land Management Police Training courses take about 18 weeks. “We are trained in a weeklong fire academy training, where you learn how to do wildland firefighting,” Hapke went on. “My patrol truck is basically a four-wheel drive engine. Fighting fires is part of the job. We also train locally in firefighting after the Academy. We are put through situations that will come in handy when we are out in the field.”

Rangers are expected to conduct tours, help injured hikers or locate missing people, and they are trained to the Emergency Medical Responder level. “I am usually the first responder at an event,” Hapke said. “It is important for me to know how to prepare for the next level of medical treatment.” Rangers are also taught how to properly collect data on wildlife and plants. A candidate receives on-the-job training, and continues to add to their knowledge under the guidance of more experienced employees. “We learn how to be safe out there, learning different techniques in the field,” he said. “There is a big advantage to training with seasoned rangers.” A new trainee is required to study under four field training officers, spending three weeks with each. “You have to go through certain steps with each of these, to then show that you understand and can carry out policy and be a good representative of the District,” Hapke added.

There’s also the enforcement aspect, though rangers don’t carry guns. The most common violations are related to dogs and bicycles being in enclosed locations, where they are not allowed. “We have 27 preserves, and the publicly-elected board chooses what can be done where,” he said. “At one preserve, dogs are allowed to be off-leash in a designated area. There are other areas where dogs must be on a leash—and some areas where they are not allowed.” Electric bikes are allowed at Rancho San Antonio, on the paved trails, and at Ravenswood on the paved trails. Hapke points out it’s

better to learn the rules beforehand, instead of having to have an awkward conversation with a ranger.

I asked Hapke what a typical day would be like. Depends on the day, he replies. “On a weekday, we are general rangers, so we do maintenance projects. We make sure signs are maintained, fences are still standing and visible. Right now, it is brushing season.” He means paring back grasses and other vegetation obstructing sign visibility. And there’s always plenty of trail work to complete. “I make sure locks and chains are in good condition, and that they are in sequence— and well lubricated,” he said. On a weekend, as the visitors flock to the parks, he tries to be more visible, patrolling on foot, having conversations with the recreators.

After 17 years, Hapke still loves his

job. “The kids today seem to transition through several careers,” he said. “For me, it took me a while to decide that I wanted this as a career. I am doing what I want.” Hapke even cares for his uniform himself, pressing it into regulation appearance. “This is a career that requires dedication and a passion to serve and protect,” he said. “I felt this desire on my hike along the John Muir Trail. And it continues as my passion today.”

And, if it’s your heart's desire as well, you, too, could embark on the journey to become a ranger.

You can drop by the Midpen administration office at 5050 El Camino Real, Los Altos, and pick-up a detailed preserve brochure, or view it online: https://www.openspace.org/ where-to-go/visit-a-preserve

Dinah Cotton / Los Gatan

AT THE PINNACLE Midpeninsula Regional Open Space Preserve Lead Ranger Alex Hapke is passionate about environmental stewardship.

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TOWN OFFICIALS DEBATE IMPACT OF NEW HOUSING ELEMENT

Housing, from page 1

I am so glad to have gotten this crucial approval from the state!”

The Town was tasked with coming up with a residential development plan that accommodates 1,993 units of new homes.

This was a significant increase from the 2015-2023 cycle where the Regional Housing Needs Allocation directed Los Gatos to make way for 619 new housing units.

The problem was, only 81% of these units were permitted by Dec. 31, 2021, and most of them were for wealthier individuals ($168,500 for a family of four, or more).

This time, the California Department of Housing and Community Development has been quite strict about making sure municipal homes plans will actually result in new housing stock.

But the debate about how to design a plan that satisfies the State, while still preserving the unique character of Los Gatos has raged intensely over the past few years.

On this point Vice Mayor Matthew Hudes finds himself on the other side of the fence from Moore.

Hudes tells the Los Gatan he understands the desire to build more housing, but says he’s worried that what will pop up here—on some of the most desirable land in the Bay Area—won’t actually be affordable.

“I think when you sit back and you look at it, there is a rush to development in Los Gatos that we’ve never seen before,” said the politician who recently announced his bid for reelection. “We’re significantly exceeding the State requirements.”

While Hudes has opposed many of the proposals that would’ve allowed for an easier path to homebuilding in Los Gatos—from the upzoning in lower-density areas considered when the 2040 General Plan was being developed to aspects of the Housing Element Overlay Zone that will allow for more units to go in specific areas of the community—here he’s referring to a small subset of small, multiunit development that the State has convinced Los Gatos to agree to.

A few months back, just as Los Gatos was on the verge of passing a good-to-go Housing Element, Hudes

introduced a meandering motion to draw-up exceptions to where single-family zoning could be asked to give-way to a small amount of triplexes, fourplexes and similar-sized infill development.

To the surprise of some pro-housing voices, the Town reported that at least one HCD staffer seemed okay with the restrictions that included historic homes, homes next to historic homes, homes near evacuation routes, high fire hazard areas and homes not right next to a bus stop.

Hudes is frustrated that three Council members voted for a plan that removed three of these areas from the list of protected places right off the hop.

However, this list does not set out

where a minor amount of housing will occur.

In fact, the small multifamily implementation program has not even been designed yet.

Nevertheless, Hudes asked staff to calculate the total number of parcels where the couple hundred new homes could be allowed to go.

Staff says this will amount to 210 units total, when what are known as Program J and Program AY are put into action over the next eight years.

However, Hudes claims this could be much higher.

He asked the Town how many parcels are available in total for these infill units.

“There are approximately 6,764 parcels available in the low and medium density designations

to support the quantified objectives of Implementation Programs J and AY for small multiunit housing,” staff replied in a report yesterday. “However, once implemented Programs J and AY may affect a smaller number of parcels.”

And while Los Gatos is finally at the end of the grueling Housing Element development process, the fight to protect the town’s unique flavor doesn’t end here.

“People say there’s nothing we can do—I would disagree with that,” he said, arguing that drawing up new objective standards will be important in the new phase. “Getting to the end of the Housing Element takes us from one chapter and moves us to another chapter.”

Drew Penner

/ Los Gatan

MULTIUNIT FUTURE Los Gatos has agreed to develop a program to allow intensification in some low-density areas of town over the next eight years.

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LGRC LAUNCHING TOWARDS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Local program to send a club-record 14 boats and 59 athletes to Florida

Emanuel Lee, Sports Editor

A year ago, the Los Gatos Rowing Club placed eight boats in the US Rowing Youth National Championships A league finals, and came away with three silver medals.

This time, LGRC is sending a club-record 14 boats and 59 athletes to the National Championships on June 6-9 in Sarasota, Fla.

“We’re looking to have an even stronger year this year,” LGRC Director Jaime Velez said. “We believe we have a really good shot of medaling in quite a few of those entries.”

LGRC qualified for the National Championships after a stellar performance in the Southwest Regional Championships last month. In Sarasota, LGRC will have eight men’s boats and six women’s boats, from U15 (15 years and under) to the U19 youth level.

“We’re hoping to build off of last year’s championships,” Velez said. “We don’t want to jinx ourselves and say, ‘Hey, we’re going to win everything.’ But we’re hoping to be competitive in many events.”

Although most of the LGRC athletes hail from Los Gatos, they draw from 30 different middle and high schools.

“We have athletes who live as far south as Gilroy and Santa Cruz, and as far north as Los Altos,” Velez said. “They attend both public and private schools, and small independent schools. So, it’s a really good cross section that represents the South Bay.”

Velez credits the club’s focus on sculling athletes with two oars, one in each hand as key to the program’s success.

“That’s where a lot of skill development happens,” he said. “We really focus on the technique of the athlete. A lot of rowing programs go for the biggest, strongest, fittest athletes out there, but what we’re able to do is take athletes that come into the sport and develop them over time.”

Don’t get Velez wrong: he knows LGRC inherits its fair share of talent. However, he takes pride in squeezing every ounce of talent out of its rowers while they’re in the program, whether they end up rowing in college on a scholarship or pursuing the sport recreationally as adults.

Redwood Middle School Principal Steve Hamm, whose son Nolan is on the LGRC men’s youth U19 4x Quad boat (a four-person boat where each has two oars), echoed Velez’s comments. Nolan recently completed his sophomore year at Los Gatos High School and started rowing three years ago with LGRC.

“They (LGRC coaches) are very good about observing and coaching in a way that each child has an opportunity to grow,” Steve said. “And certainly my child has done quite well under their tutelage.”

A couple of additional factors have made the Hamms’ time at LGRC a productive one.

“What keeps us there is the relationship Nolan has built with the other rowers and the coaching staff,” Steve said. “Unlike more traditional sports which tend to be adult driven, this is more of a team sport where they work together collaboratively towards their success. I really feel like Nolan has been seen and heard, and been taken to a new level based on his ability.”

Similar to several of his fellow rowers, Nolan has a jam-packed summer

schedule. In the first week of July, Nolan will compete in the prestigious Henley Royal Regatta in England, July 2-7. After that, Nolan gets all of one day at home in Los Gatos before he departs to San Diego for an intense three-week U.S. Junior Olympics selection training camp.

From there, Nolan will row in an international competition, either outside Niagara Falls or in Mexico City. Steve shares in the journey as he accompanies Nolan.

“My wife and I get to be his groupies,” Steve deadpanned. “It’s been a lot of fun. And getting into the sport of rowing has been a life-changing experience for him—and us as well.”

Steve has seen firsthand Nolan’s love for the discipline, one that American-born athletes usually take up after they first try their hand in the more traditional ball sports.

“In rowing, you’re getting a different type of athlete,” Steve said. “It’s kind of more like swimming, where you’re an individual, but you are part of a team. It’s a niche for students who fall into the category, and it’s an opportunity for them to excel and physically change their bodies.

LAST YEAR, the Los Gatos Rowing Club’s youth 4-team of Julia Kiplinger, Brynna Ruf, Annika Sivi and Sarah Drabkin were silver medalists at the Youth National Championships.

CALIFORNIA TEACHERS ARE USING AI TO GRADE PAPERS

Educators using chatbots to grade assignments, give feedback to sudents

Khari Johnson, CalMatters

Your children could be some of a growing number of California kids having their writing graded by software instead of a teacher.

California school districts are signing more contracts for artificial intelligence tools, from automated grading in San Diego to chatbots in central California, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay Area. English teachers say AI tools can help them grade papers faster, get students more feedback, and improve their learning experience. But guidelines are vague and adoption by teachers and districts is spotty.

The California Department of Education can’t tell you which schools use AI or how much they pay for it. The state doesn’t track AI use by school districts, said Katherine Goyette, computer science coordinator for the California Department of Education.

While Goyette said chatbots are the most common form of AI she’s encountered in schools, more and more California teachers are using AI tools to help grade student work. That’s con-

emplary, and that compliance with the guidelines is not mandatory.”

Goyette said she’s waiting to see if the California Legislature passes Senate Bill 1288, which would require state Superintendent Tony Thurmond to create an AI working group to issue further guidance to local school districts on how to safely use AI. Cosponsored by Thurmond, the bill also calls for an assessment of the current state of AI in education and for the identification of forms of AI that can harm students and educators by 2026.

Nobody tracks what AI tools school districts are adopting or the policy they use to enforce standards, said Alix Gallagher, head of strategic partnerships at the Policy Analysis for California Education center at Stanford University. Since the state does not track curriculum that school districts adopt or software in use, it would be highly unusual for them to track AI contracts, she said.

which in turn allows her to hand out more writing assignments.

“At this point last year, a lot of students were still struggling to write a paragraph, let alone an essay with evidence and claims and reasoning and explanation and elaboration and all of that,” Roberts said. “This year, they’re just getting there faster.”

Roberts feels Writable is “very accurate” when grading her students of average aptitude. But, she said, there’s a downside: It sometimes assigns high-performing students lower grades than merited and struggling students higher grades. She said she routinely checks answers when the AI grades assignments, but only checks the feedback it gives students occasionally.

sistent with surveys that have found teachers use AI as often if not more than students, news that contrasts sharply with headlines about fears of students cheating with AI.

Teachers use AI to do things like personalize reading material, create lesson plans, and other tasks in order to save time and and reduce burnout.

A report issued last fall in response to an AI executive order by Gov. Gavin Newsom mentions opportunities to use AI for tutoring, summarization, and personalized content generation, but also labels education a risky use case. Generative AI tools have been known to create convincing but inaccurate answers to questions, and use toxic language or imagery laden with racism or sexism.

California issued guidance for how educators should use the technology last fall, one of seven states to do so. It encourages critical analysis of text and imagery created by AI models and conversations between teachers and students about what amounts to ethical or appropriate use of AI in the classroom.

But no specific mention is made of how teachers should treat AI that grades assignments. Additionally, the California education code states that guidance from the state is “merely ex-

Amid AI hype, Gallagher thinks people can lose sight of the fact that the technology is just a tool and it will only be as good or problematic as the decisions of the humans using that tool, which is why she repeatedly urges investments in helping teachers understand AI tools and how to be thoughtful about their use and making space for communities are given voice about how to best meet their kid’s needs.

“Some people will probably make some pretty bad decisions that are not in the best interests of kids, and some other people might find ways to use maybe even the same tools to enrich student experiences,” she said.

TEACHERS USE AI TO GRADE ENGLISH PAPERS

Last summer, Jen Roberts, an English teacher at Point Loma High School in San Diego, went to a training session to learn how to use Writable, an AI tool that automates grading writing assignments and gives students feedback powered by OpenAI. For the past school year, Roberts used Writable and other AI tools in the classroom, and she said it’s been the best year yet of nearly three decades of teaching. Roberts said it has made her students better writers, not because AI did the writing for them, but because automated feedback can tell her students faster than she can how to improve,

“In actual practicality, I do not look at the feedback it gives every single student,” she said. “That’s just not a great use of my time. But I do a lot of spot checking and I see what’s going on and if I see a student that I’m worried about get feedback, (I’m like) ‘Let me go look at what his feedback is and then go talk to him about that.’”

Alex Rainey teaches English to fourth graders at Chico Country Day School in northern California. She used GPT-4, a language model made by OpenAI which costs $20 a month, to grade papers and provide feedback. After uploading her grading rubric and examples of her written feedback, she used AI to grade assignments about animal defense mechanisms, allowing GPT-4 to analyze students’ grammar and sentence structure while she focused on assessing creativity.

“I feel like the feedback it gave was very similar to how I grade my kids, like my brain was tapped into it,” she said. Like Roberts she found that it saves time, transforming work that took hours into less than an hour, but also found that sometimes GPT-4 is a tougher grader than she is. She agrees that quicker feedback and the ability to dole out more writing assignments produces better writers. A teacher can assign more writing before delivering feedback but “then kids have nothing to grow from.”

Rainey said her experience grading with GPT-4 left her in agreement with Roberts, that more feedback and writing more often produces better writers. She feels strongly that teachers still need

➝ Chatbots, 20

Adriana Heldiz / CalMatters

SYNTHETIC SMARTS English teacher Jen Roberts explains to her students how she uses Magic School, an AI platform, for classroom exercises and grading at Point Loma High School in San Diego on May 3, 2024.

LOS GATOS START-UPS PART OF POST-PANDEMIC BUSINESS TREND

Startups, from page 1

It’s swept across the country and outlasted the swell of pop-ups hawking pandemic supplies, according to an analysis from the Federal Reserve. In 2023, applications to form new businesses reached a record of 5.5 million. Nearly 1.8 million of these are considered highly likely to hire employees. Many of these pandemic-era start-ups are not operating out of office parks or big cities, but are distributed and global. And it’s all enabled by cloud computing.

Los Gatos residents like Thakur drove part of this. They founded at least 33 companies between 2019 and 2021, according to data compiled by the Los Gatan, projectstartups.com and the database service Crunchbase. Just under a third have received either seed, private equity or venture financing.

Other funded Los Gatos companies birthed during the era of lockdowns include: Full Speed Automation, aka Vitesse, (in 2020); Bobidi. com (2021); Rapid Silicon (2021); ServiceUp (2021); and Reprosent (2020), to name a few. Only time will tell if they become long-term business concerns.

Veza has raised a total of $125 million from several well-known firms, including Accel, Capital One Ventures, Google Ventures and ServiceNow Ventures. These days, it operates as a hybrid in-person and remote company, with 140 staff—and co-founders Dr. Mahout Lu and Rob Whitcher—spread across the world.

In June 2020, after a mutual friend introduced them, Thakur hired the company’s founding engineer, Arjan Topolovec, who was more than 6,000 miles away in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Last year, the company opened an office in Redwood City, where Bay Area staff meet several times a week. It’s also conveniently near the region’s largest airport.

Veza went to market in the summer of 2021. Established brands like Barracuda Networks, Blackstone and Mattel are now among Veza’s 150 customers, Thakur says.

Another local company, PURE Property Management, also operates under a similar arrangement. Established during the pandemic at its founders’ homes, its main location is a pair of second-story units in Old

CO-FOUNDERS Mike Catalano and Joe Polverari zone-in on a laptop screen at the PURE Property Management offices in Los Gatos.

Courtesy of Veza BOOTCAMP Veza employees at a recent sales engineering event.

Town on University Avenue. But it has distributed property management offices across 22 states, resulting from a binge of acquisitions that brought their headcount to 600 people.

Co-founders, friends and long-time entrepreneurs Joseph Polverari and Michael Catalano started discussing the business idea late in 2019. They began rounding-up financing and prior colleagues to join them, just as the economy ground to a halt a few months later.

“I started reaching out to more of the engineering team. The lady I wanted to build the platform was actually working somewhere else,” recalls Polverari. “In fact, she was living on a river boat on the Nile. I said, actually, ‘We’re building a platform, and we've got the money. So, whenever you're ready to get off the boat, you should come back, because it will be your masterpiece.’”

Catalano grew up in Saratoga and has remained in the area for 40 years. He now lives in Los Gatos. Polverari is a longtime financial technology entrepreneur from Portola Valley with a background as a mergers and acquisitions attorney. He was the chief strategy and development officer of financial data integration company Yodlee for more than 15 years. The median age of the leadership team is about 55, according to PURE Property Management Vice President of Marketing David LaPlante.

Polverari had just sold a company at the end of 2019 and had left to go skiing in Idaho. But Catalano managed to convince his friend that the property management business was ripe for disruption. He also needed Polverari’s legal and management expertise. Since they officially founded the business in 2020, they’ve acquired 75 companies, says Polverari.

“We build technology that we think will dramatically revolutionize the way property management happens for the better,” he said. “It will be better for the residents, better for the owners, and better for the property managers.”

The duo worked through most of that first year building the company’s infrastructure, before cashing in their $25 million seed round.

“Everyone was in a period of great uncertainty, and we felt awkward saying, ‘OK, you’ve all signed up. You’ve got to invest. Give us your money,’ when people didn’t know whether they were going to live or die,” Polverari recalled.

The company raised another $50 million, in February 2022.

Both Catalano and Polverari plan on keeping their headquarters in Los Gatos, as the business grows.

“We’re living in the best part of the world, the best part of the planet—literally—for stuff like this,” Polverari said. “If you’re already here, you stay here, because it’s exciting and fun. And you have access to the tools you need to build innovations that could change industries, change the world— and improve people’s lives. And that’s a cool thing to do. There’s only one Silicon Valley. If I were leaving college right now, I would come straight here and start my career.”

Courtesy of Veza

TRIO Veza’s founding team rocking T-shirts.

Drew Penner / Los Gatan

AT DUSK Rapid Silicon works out of this office building along Los Gatos Boulevard.

MAY 19

• A man was reported as suspicious while picking flowers from the bushes a little after midnight.

• A vehicle collision with no injuries was reported at Cherry Blossom Lane and Blossom Hill Road at 1:28pm. It involved a Honda Odyssey vs. a Toyota Venza.

• A reporting party said a driver pulled-up along Bartlett Court the prior night, as a mailbox cluster was forced open and two subjects holding a basket got into the Nissan Maxima.

• A garage door opener and miscellaneous items were reported stolen from a vehicle on Birch Wood Court.

• A caller said their wallet was stolen while she was shopping at Safeway on North Santa Cruz Avenue. The reporting party’s cards were then used at a clothing store in Los Gatos and the Apple Store.

MAY 20

• A backpack was taken from a 2019 red Mini Cooper on Loma Alta Avenue before 5:03am.

• A suspect yelled that “illegal immigrants need to go back home,” along North Santa Cruz Avenue. Police were unable to locate the individual.

• A suspect paid for merchandise at the UPS Store on North Santa Cruz Avenue with a counterfeit $100 bill.

• At 4:55pm, vandalism was reported at Stickney Cell Site on Fairview Plaza. The suspect reportedly cut down several trees and damaged the hillside.

MAY 21

• An “explosion” was heard at South Kennedy Road and Pint Court around 9:20am. The caller thought it might be a gunshot. No smoke was identified, despite the smell.

• A gray Toyota Tacoma and a black transit van collided around 9:47am. No injuries were reported.

POLICE BLOTTER

• A suspect reportedly urinated at the bus stop next to Chase Bank then walked away before 10am.

her dog, around 9pm.

• A caller said their wallet, with more than $1,000, was stolen the prior day.

• A counselor said a client had disclosed being sexually abused by a neighbor.

MAY 22

• A man was reportedly stumbling around a parking lot looking into vehicles around 10:49am.

• A caller said a suspect had threatened to stab her on Winchester Boulevard around 12:48pm. The reporting party claimed she’d caught him trying to steal a package.

• A white off-road bike was reportedly doing wheelies at Harwood and Blossom Hill roads around 8:30pm.

MAY 23

• A vehicle vs. cyclist collision occurred at Blossom Hill Road and University Avenue around 8:35am. The driver provided the reporting party with her name, but the caller didn’t get her insurance info or phone number.

• Jewelry was reported missing from a Farley Road address.

• A caller reported vandalism to her vehicle at Blossom Hill Road and Leigh Avenue around 9:30pm.

MAY 24

• A woman reported her wallet was stolen at Trader Joe’s at 10:26am.

• A failed vehicle theft was reported from Hershner Drive. The caller said it happened overnight.

• At 5:05pm, behind Share Team off of Park Avenue, a caller said a vehicle hit their vehicle.

• A gardener saw four boys running away from Tait Avenue towards Highway 9 after kicking a fence in, shortly after 5pm.

• At Santa Maria and Kennedy Road, two people headed westbound on Kennedy reportedly yelled racial slurs at a person who was walking

• Minor injuries were reported in the collision of two Toyotas at Capri Drive and Knowles Avenue. The occupants of the 4Runner and the Corolla were up and walking around by 9:55pm.

• A caller advised that people were throwing eggs from Los Gatos Creek Trail before the 20A exit around 11pm.

• Police received a loud music complaint out of Bachman Park at 10:25pm. The caller said they asked the group of 5-6 teens to turn down the tunes “but they did not.”

• A Honda Odyssey was reported for repeatedly honking its horn from a parking lot.

MAY 25

• An older model dark Mercury with flashers on was reportedly “patrolling the area,” according to the reporting party who “thinks it is casing homes,” at 10:32am.

• At 3:37pm, a homeless subject was scaring patients, according to a Los Gatos Boulevard property owner.

• A black 2011 Mercedes S550 was reported stolen from North Santa Cruz Avenue at 12:46am. The caller said his friend has a key, but shouldn’t have taken the car.

RECOVERY On Monday around 5pm, officers received a report that suspects were stealing merchandise from a local Safeway and apprehended them as they were attempting to flee in a getaway car. Over $6,000 in stolen merchandise from several different stores was recovered. The suspects were booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail for organized retail theft. (Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department Instagram)

Ad LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dear Editor,

I read with interest the article in the Los Gatan about the May 21 Town Council meeting.

One of the top concerns of those polled about a possible new tax was “traffic congestion,” so the Council proposed to direct revenue from the new tax (if it passes) towards improving traffic flow, among other things. Great! It seems from this that the Council is being responsive to the concerns of the residents.

Not so fast (literally). The town just recently spent money on traffic calming “improvements” on Blossom Hill Road. Those “improvements” restrict traffic flow and have obviously caused congestion. What was once a relatively free-flowing major route in town has become a traffic nightmare.

So, the Council is justifying a new tax to try to fix problems which were created or made worse by previous capital spending. What a waste.

Regards,

*This letter has been edited for

Linda Swenberg

Los Gatos

clarity

ROAD DIET A man walks a dog past a green bollard on Blossom Hill Road, a route that’s been the target of traffic-calming measures following recent fatalities.

REGULATORS PONDER ROLE OF AI IN THE CLASSROOM

Chatbots, from page 14

to oversee grading and feedback by AI, “but I think it’s amazing. I couldn’t go backwards now.”

THE COST OF USING AI IN THE CLASSROOM

Contracts involving artificial intelligence can be lucrative.

To launch a chatbot named Ed, Los Angeles Unified School District signed a $6.2 million contract for two years with the option of renewing for three additional years. Magic School AI is used by educators in Los Angeles and costs $100 per teacher per year.

Despite repeated calls and emails over the span of roughly a month, Writable and the San Diego Unified School District declined to share pricing details with CalMatters. A district spokesperson said teachers got access to Writeable through a contract with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for English language learners.

Quill is an AI-powered writing tool for students in grades 4-12 made by the company Quill. Quill says its tool is currently used at 1,000 schools in California and has more than 13,000 student and educator users in San Diego alone. An annual Quill Premium subscription costs $80 per teacher or $1800 per school.

Quill does not generate writing for students like ChatGPT or grade writing assignments, but gives students feedback on their writing. Quill is a nonprofit that’s raised $20 million from groups like Google’s charitable foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation over the past 10 years.

Even if a teacher or district wants to shell out for an AI tool, guidance for safe and responsible use is still getting worked out.

Governments are placing high-risk labels on forms of AI with the power to make critical decisions about whether a person gets a job or rents an apartment or receives government benefits. California Federation of Teachers President Jeff Freitas said he hasn’t considered whether AI for grading is moderate or high risk, but “it definitely is a risk to use for grading.”

The California Federation of Teachers is a union with 120,000 members. Freitas told CalMatters he’s concerned about AI having a number of consequences in the classroom. He’s worried administrators may use it to justify increasing class-

room sizes or adding to teacher workloads; he’s worried about climate change and the amount of energy needed to train and deploy AI models’ he’s worried about protecting students’ privacy, and he’s worried about automation bias.

Regulators around the world wrestling with AI praise approaches where it is used to augment human decision-making instead of replacing it. But it’s difficult for laws to account for automation bias and humans becoming placing too much trust in machines.

The American Federation of Teachers created an AI working group in October 2023 to propose guidance on how educators should use the technology or talk about it in collective bargaining contract negotiations. Freitas said those guidelines are due out in the coming weeks.

“We’re trying to provide guidelines for educators to not solely rely on (AI), he said. “It should be used as a tool, and you should not lose your critical analysis of what it’s producing for you.”

STATE AI GUIDELINES FOR TEACHERS

Goyette, the computer science coordinator for the education department, helped create state AI guidelines and speaks to county offices of education for in-person training on AI for educators. She also helped create an online AI training series for educators. She said the most popular online course is about workflow and efficiency, which shows teachers how to automate lesson planning and grading.

“Teachers have an incredibly important and tough job, and what’s most important is that they’re building relationships with their students,” she said.

“There’s decades of research that speaks to the power of that, so if they can save time on mundane tasks so that they can spend more time with their students, that’s a win.”

Alex Kotran, chief executive of an education nonprofit that’s supported by Google and OpenAI, said they found that it’s hard to design a language model to predictably match how a teacher grades papers.

He spoke with teachers willing to accept a model that’s accurate 80% of the time in order to reap the reward of time saved, but he thinks it’s probably safe to say that a student or parent would want

to make sure an AI model used for grading is even more accurate.

Kotran of the AI Education Project thinks it makes sense for school districts to adopt a policy that says teachers should be wary any time they use AI tools that can have disparate effects on student’s lives.

Even with such a policy, teachers can still fall victim to trusting AI without question. And even if the state kept track of AI used by school districts, there’s still the possibility that teachers will purchase technology for use on their personal computers.

Kotran said he routinely speaks with educators across the U.S. and is not aware of any systematic studies to verify the effectiveness and consistency of AI for grading English papers.

WHEN TEACHERS CAN’T TELL IF THEY’RE CHEATING

Roberts, the Point Loma High School teacher, describes herself as pro technology.

She regularly writes and speaks about AI. Her experiences have led her to the opinion that grading with AI is what’s best for her students, but she didn’t arrive at that conclusion easily.

At first, she questioned whether using AI for grading and feedback could hurt her understanding of her students. Today she views using AI like the cross-country coach who rides alongside student athletes in a golf cart, like an aid that helps her assist her students better.

Roberts says the average high school English teacher in her district has roughly 180 students. Grading and feedback can take between five to 10 minutes per assignment she says, so between teaching, meetings, and other duties, it can take two to three weeks to get feedback back into the hands of students unless a teacher decides to give up large chunks of their weekends. With AI, it takes Roberts a day or two.

Ultimately, she concluded that “if my students are growing as writers, then I don’t think I’m cheating.” She says AI reduces her fatigue, giving her more time to focus on struggling students and giving them more detailed feedback.

“My job is to make sure you grow, and that you’re a healthy, happy, literate adult by the time you graduate from high school, and I will use any tool that

NEW ERA A poster with information for students on using ChatGPT, an AI platform, in English teacher Jen Roberts’ class at Point Loma High School in San Diego.

helps me do that, and I’m not going to get hung up on the moral aspects of that,” she said. “My job is not to spend every Saturday reading essays. Way too many English teachers work way too many hours a week because they are grading students the old-fashioned way.” Roberts also thinks AI might be a less biased grader in some instances than human teachers who can adjust their grading for students sometimes to give them the benefit of the doubt or be punitive if they were particularly annoying in class recently.

She isn’t worried about students cheating with AI, a concern she characterizes as a moral panic. She points to a Stanford University study released last fall which found that students cheated just as much before the advent of ChatGPT as they did a year after the release of the AI.

Goyette said she understands why students question whether some AI use by teachers is like cheating. Education department AI guidelines encourage teachers and students to use the technology more. What’s essential, Goyette said, is that teachers discuss what ethical use of AI looks like in their classroom, and convey that—like using a calculator in math class—using AI is accepted or encouraged for some assignments and not others.

This story originally appeared on CalMatters.org: calmatters.org/economy/ technology/2024/06/teachers-ai-grading

Adriana Heldiz / CalMatters

Administer Estate

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF David B. Hoyt. Case No. 24PR197182. To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of (specify all names by which the decedent was known): David B. Hoyt. A Petition for Probate has been filed by Tiffany Hoyt in the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara. The petition for probate requests that: Tiffany Hoyt be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: Date: 7/12/2024. Time: 9:01 AM. Dept: 1. Address of the court: Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara, 191 N. First Street, San Jose, California, 95113. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for Petitioner: Jennifer E. Ramirez. 2021 The Alameda, Suite 225, San Jose, CA 95126, (408) 713-5444. (Pub LGN 5/22, 5/29, 6/5)

Fictitious Business Name Statements

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT #705709

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: EZ Pro Service, 1825 Mandel Ct., San Jose, CA, 95131. This business is being conducted by a Corporation. Registrant began business under the fictitious business name or names listed herein on 03/25/2024. Above entity was formed in the state of California. /s/Thu Dinh. President. #6158093. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Clara County on 05/02/2024. (pub LG 05/15, 05/22, 05/29, 06/05/2024)

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT #705812

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Yahnco, 1201 Parkmoor Ave 1420, San Jose, CA, 95126, Michelle Ayon, Eddie Ayon. This business is being conducted by a Married Couple. Registrant began business under the fictitious business name or names listed herein on 04/27/2024. /s/Michelle Ayon. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Clara County on 05/06/2024. (pub LG 05/15, 05/22, 05/29, 06/05/2024)

PUBLIC NOTICES

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT #705443

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Urbanworks, 1314 Hope Drive #102, Santa Clara, CA, 95054, One Source Solution LLC. This business is being conducted by a Limited Liability Company. Registrant began business under the fictitious business name or names listed herein on 04/24/2024. Above entity was formed in the state of California. /s/ Jimy Chang. CEO. #202461615537. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Clara County on 04/24/2024. (pub LG 05/15, 05/22, 05/29, 06/05/2024)

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT #705706

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Flowersong Outdoor School, 172 W. Maude Ave., Sunnyvale, CA, 94085, Flowersong LLC. This business is being conducted by a Limited Liability Company. Registrant has not yet begun business under the fictitious business name or names listed herein. Above entity was formed in the state of California. /s/Elizabeth Binkley. LLC Member/Manager. #202461416948. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Clara County on 05/02/2024. (pub LG 05/15, 05/22, 05/29, 06/05/2024)

File Number: FBN705287. The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: Bay Area Kids Dentistry, 991 Saratoga Ave, Suite 220, San Jose, CA 95129. This business is conducted by: A Corporation, Brindha Subramanian, BDS-MS Dental Corporation(California), 21 Pilot Cir, Redwood City, CA 94065. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on 03/11/2019 and 04/19/2024 is the file date. Statement filed with the County Clerk of Santa Clara: /s/ Corinne Vasquez /s/ Deputy, 110 West Tasman Drive, San Jose, CA 95134. Brindha Subramanian,BDS-MS Dental Corporation, Article/ Reg # 03092017, Above Entity was Formed in the State of California. /s/ Brindha Subramanian /s/ President. (Pub LGN: 05/15, 05/22, 05/29, 06/05/2024)

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT #704699

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: The Handler, 112 Amanda Ln., Los Gatos, CA, 95032, Alex Nagi Alamul. This business is being conducted by an Individual. Registrant began business under the fictitious business name or names listed herein on. /s/ Alex Nagi Alamul. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Clara County on 04/02/2024. (pub LG 05/15, 05/22, 05/29, 06/05/2024)

File Number: FBN705838. The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: OOKA , 313 Llano De Los Robles Ave Unit 3, San Jose, CA 95136. This business is conducted by: A Limited Liability Company, Avantrading LLC, 5201 Great American Pkwy Ste 320, Santa Clara, CA 95054. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on Not Applicable and 05/07/2024 is the file date. Statement filed with the County Clerk of Santa Clara: /s/ Elaine Fader /s/ Deputy, 110 West Tasman Drive, San Jose, CA 95134. Avantrading LLC, Article/Reg # 202358110401, Above Entity was Formed in the State of California. /s/ Yi Tian /s/ CEO. (Pub LGN: 05/22, 05/29, 06/05, 06/12/2024)

File Number: FBN706003. The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: Nematique , 172 Bersano Lane, Los Gatos, CA 95030230. This business is conducted by: A General Partnership, Madhu Jain, 172 Bersano Lane, Los Gatos, CA 95030230 and Neelu Jain, 1344 Greenwood Road, Pleasanton, Cali 94566-. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on 04/01/2024 and 05/14/2024 is the file date. Statement filed with the County Clerk of Santa Clara:

/s/ Corinne Vasquez /s/ Deputy, 110 West Tasman Drive, San Jose, CA 95134. /s/ Madhu Jain /s/. (Pub LGN: 05/22, 05/29, 06/05, 06/12/2024)

File Number: FBN706014. The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: Moore Preowned , 644 University Ave, Los Gatos, CA 95032. This business is conducted by: A Corporation, Moorevalue Corp, 644 University Ave, Los Gatos, CA 95032. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on 06/22/2024 and 05/14/2024 is the file date.

Statement filed with the County Clerk of Santa Clara: /s/ Mike Louie /s/ Deputy, 110 West Tasman Drive, San Jose, CA 95134. Moorevalue Corp, Article/Reg # 528993, Above Entity was Formed in the State of CA. /s/ John Y Moore /s/ President. (Pub LGN: 05/22, 05/29, 06/05, 06/12/2024)

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT #705183

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: IVO Auto Service, 1105 E William St., San Jose, CA, 95116, Olivia Ponce, Vanessa Campuzano Ponce. This business is being conducted by a A General Partnership. Registrant began business under the fictitious business name or names listed herein. /s/ Vanessa Campuzano Ponce. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Clara County on 04/16/2024. (pub LG 05/22, 05/29, 06/05, 06/12/2024)

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT #706116

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: J And K Rentals, 15971 Quail Road, Los Gatos, CA, 95032, Donald C Wimberly. This business is being conducted by an Individual. Registrant began business under the fictitious business name or names listed herein on 08/10/1992. /s/Donald C Wimberly. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Clara County on 05/17/2024. (pub LG 05/29, 06/05, 06/12, 06/19/2024)

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT #706223

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Redmond Auto Services, 1331 Redmond Ave., San Jose, CA, 95120, Ben Talebi. This business is being conducted by an Individual. Registrant began business under the fictitious business name or names listed herein on 09/18/2014. /s/ben Talebi. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Clara County on 05/22/2024. (pub Metro 05/29, 06/05, 06/12, 06/19/2024)

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT #705655

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Corvette Clinic, 1850 W. San Carlos St., San Jose, CA, 95128, Matthew John Rohr. This business is being conducted by an Individual. Registrant began business under the fictitious business name or names listed herein on 05/01/2024. /s/Matthew John Rohr. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Clara County on 05/10/2024. (pub LG 05/29, 06/05, 06/12, 06/19/2024)

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT #706282

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Samantha Lykins Esthetics, 14760 Elton Court, San Jose, CA, 95124, Samantha Anne Lykins. This business is being conducted by an Individual. Registrant began business under the fictitious business name or names listed herein on 05/22/2024. /s/Samantha Anne Lykins. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Clara County on 05/23/2024. (pub LG 05/29, 06/05, 06/12, 06/19/2024)

File Number: FBN705998 . The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: Bloom Plaza Animal Hospital , 5647 Snell Avenue, San Jose, CA

95123. This business is conducted by: A Corporation, PetVet Care Centers (California), Inc., One Gorham Island Road, Suite 300, Westport, CT 06880. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on 03/15/2019 and 05/14/2024 is the file date. Statement filed with the County Clerk of Santa Clara: /s/ Elaine Fader /s/ Deputy, 110 West Tasman Drive, San Jose, CA 95134. PetVet Care Centers (California), Inc, Article/Reg # 3819003, Above Entity was Formed in the State of Delaware. /s/ Adeline Park /s/ Vice President. (Pub LGN: 05/29, 06/05, 06/12, 06/19/2024)

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT #705973

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Emperial Security Services, 1 Vista Montana Apt 3432, San Jose, CA, 95134, Ernest Ogbonnaya. This business is being conducted by an Individual. Registrant began business under the fictitious business name or names listed herein on 05/01/2024. s/Ernest Ogbonnaya. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Clara County on 05/13/2024. (pub LG 05/29, 06/05, 06/12, 06/19/2024)

File Number: FBN706190. The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: ECOSYNAPSE , 16185 Los Gatos Boulevard, Suite 205, Los Gatos, CA 95032. This business is conducted by: An Individual, Amanda Hendricks, 167 Villa Ave. Apt #10, Los Gatos, CA 95030. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on 12/11/2019 and 05/21/2024 is the file date. Statement filed with the County Clerk of Santa Clara: /s/ Patty Camarena /s/ Deputy, 110 West Tasman Drive, San Jose, CA 95134. /s/ Amanda Hendricks /s/. (Pub LGN: 05/29, 06/05, 06/12, 06/19/2024)

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT #706203

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: Pre-Owned Cars N Trucks, 6901 Monterey Rd STE B, Gilroy, CA, 95020, Ioniq Car Company Corp. This business is being conducted by a Corporation. Registrant began business under the fictitious business name or names listed herein on 10/06/2023. Above entity was formed in the state of California. /s/ Fahmy A Sarkis. Secretary. #5915181. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Clara County on 05/21/2024. (pub Metro 06/05, 06/12, 06/19, 06/26/2024)

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT #705476

The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: One Mortgage Central, 2221 Oakland Road Suite 268A, San Jose, CA, 95131, Silicon City Inc. This business is being conducted by a Corporation. Registrant has not yet begun business under the fictitious business name or names listed herein. Above entity was formed in the state of California. /s/Timothy Chau. President. #3725482. This statement was filed with the County Clerk of Santa Clara County on 04/25/2024. (pub Metro 06/05, 06/12, 06/19, 06/26/2024)

File Number: FBN706388 . The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: Shiny Tickets 858 Civic Center Dr, Santa Clara, CA 95050. County: Santa Clara. This business is conducted by: A Limited Liability Company, #202460512987 California. Golden Ticket Promotions, LLC, 858 Civic Center Dr, Santa Clara, CA 95050. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name or names listed above on N/A and 05/29/2024 is the file date. Statement filed with the County Clerk of Santa Clara: /s/ Corinne Vasquez, Deputy, 110 West Tasman Drive, 1st Floor, San Jose, CA 95134. /s/ Moises Rodriguez, Managing Member, Golden Ticket Promotions, LLC. (Pub LGN 6/5, 6/12, 6/19, 6/26)