Getting your
Trinity Audioplayer ready...#### Youth Town Hall Los Gatos Mayor Rob Moore’s initiative to invigorate young people finally came to fruition last month, when Moore brought in about 200 students to West Valley College in Saratoga to help young people connect, learn, and grow their impact, according to his Instagram post.
The Youth Town Hall featured a panel discussion with community leaders and experts, six breakout sessions and a resource fair to connect attendees with local causes, clubs and organizations.
“Students had in-depth conversations on topics consisting of government, tech, climate, social justice, healthcare, education and finance,” said Moore in his post.
El Camino Health sponsored the event, and Saratoga nonprofit Successful Aging Solutions and Community Consulting helped organize it. Students who helped with organization were Lucas Liu, Nova Jayaraj, Aashvee Vij, Julia Neyman, Ben Nester and Georgina Cobb.
“So grateful to have been a part of this, and so excited to see such great youth interest in our community,” Vij commented on Instagram. “Can’t wait to see where this goes in future years, too!”
Encampment removal
The California Department of Transportation removed an encampment near Los Gatos on June 10.
One northbound lane on Highway 17 was closed for a number of days last week. A Los Gatos resident noted that the lane closure was causing traffic delays for people going from Santa Cruz to San Jose.
A Caltrans spokesperson confirmed that the department had removed an encampment located near the Main Street Overcrossing. Caltrans is responsible for maintaining the state’s transportation network, so they must assess encampment sites for safety threats.
“Threats may include excavation at or near structures that increase the risk of collapse; encampments that physically block traffic or pathways; and encampments that put individuals experiencing homelessness, the traveling public, Caltrans’ maintenance crews, first responders and the nearby community at risk,” said a Caltrans spokesperson in an email to this news organization.
Caltrans has cleaned up the site twice over the past five yeas. They removed 40 cubic yards of debris on Aug. 13, 2025, and 80 cubic yards of litter on June 9-10. The spokesperson said Caltrans partners with local government agencies that are funded, trained and equipped to help people sheltering on state right-of-way to find alternative shelter options.
Caltrans reported removing more than 25,000 encampments on state right-of-ways and collecting approximately 450,000 cubic yards of litter and debris since 2021. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s State Action for Facilitation on Encampments (SAFE) Task Force was created in 2025 to coordinate encampment removals and connect unhoused individuals with public services, a year after he issued an executive order to urge local governments to better address encampments.