Members of the Los Gatos Youth Commission present a certificate to Jim Johnson, owner of JJ Magoo’s Pizza, recognizing his business as its first Youth-Friendly Business of the Year.
Los Gatos Recognizes Youth-Friendly Local Businesses The Town of Los Gatos (pop. 30,497) is located in the southwestern portion of Santa Clara County, nestled at the foot of the Santa Cruz Mountains. While Los Gatos is closely tied to Silicon Valley and its fast-paced economy, it has a small-town feel and strives to maintain its image as a familyfriendly community.
In keeping with its family-friendly values, the Los Gatos Town Council formed the Los Gatos Youth Commission in 2005 to give teens a voice in the community and to act as an advisory board to the town council on youth-related issues. The youth commission comprises 15 students from grades 8–12, with five alternates, and provides valuable input and leadership on important local issues. One of the issues the commission recently addressed was the perception among local teens that there were not enough stores catering to teens in downtown Los Gatos. The youth commission conducted its own survey showing that teens were going out of town to spend their money — dollars that would remain in
the community if there were more businesses serving teens. This survey coincided with the town’s “Shop Local” campaign to help residents learn about the benefits of shopping locally. When the town council denied a chain clothing store’s application for a conditional use permit in the downtown area, some youth commission members interpreted that decision as an indication that the community did not support teens. This perception arose out of a misunderstanding of the policy reasons underlying the council’s decision. The situation presented an opportunity to educate the youth commissioners about the planning and land use processes that guide downtown business continued on page 43
The Town of Los Gatos won the Ruth Vreeland Award for Engaging Youth in City Government in the 2010 Helen Putnam Award for Excellence program. For more information about the award program, visit www.cacities.org/helenputnam.
www.westerncity.com
Western City, September 2011
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