Housing, climate-related emergency preparedness and community are the top priorities for the new mayors of Los Gatos and Saratoga. The councils of both municipalities each appointed mayors for 2026 last month.
Los Gatos Vice Mayor Rob Moore was elevated to mayor unanimously on Dec. 9. Saratoga Vice Mayor Chuck Page was sworn in as mayor on Dec. 3. During his acceptance speech, Moore shared his top five priorities for his year as mayor: tackling housing challenges and addressing homelessness; empowering youth, children and families; improving street safety and reducing traffic; increasing emergency preparedness and environmental protection; and economic and community vitality. Similarly, Page said that his priorities as mayor include celebrating Saratoga’s unique neighborhoods, tackling housing issues and preparing for the effects of climate change.
Both new mayors expressed frustration over the loss of local control as the state has mandated more housing. Los Gatos has about 13 pending applications for housing developments; Saratoga has received 22 applications for builder’s remedy projects.
As the youngest member of the Los Gatos council, Moore said that while he plans to retain the town’s character, he also plans to increase affordable housing and address homelessness. He said that he was proud of how the council handled the approval of three new housing development projects: Los Gatos Lodge, Genuine Automotive and Cafe Dio.
“We are slated to see about a dozen major development proposals over the next year, and I really think we need to take each of them completely, independently and really on a case-by-case basis, because some of the developments are reasonable and others are not,” Moore said.
When asked about how he would address housing affordability, Moore said that some of these new developments will create opportunities for homeownership for younger families. Zillow lists the average price of a home in Los Gatos at $2.4 million, but some of the townhomes being built may cost $1 million.
“If you can create units that are selling for $1 million or less than $1 million, those are creating home ownership opportunities for people that otherwise would not be able to get into Los Gatos,” Moore said.
By far Moore’s most ambitious plan is to address homelessness in the town. He said many homeless people in Los Gatos may have had housing before, but that doesn’t exclude transient people coming in from other cities. He said the biggest challenge for dealing with that is infrastructure, as Los Gatos doesn’t have any affordable housing options outside of those built into new developments. To address that, he said he hoped to work with neighboring cities to find options to get people off the streets.
“There aren’t housing solutions for homeless people in the West Valley, and so that’s going to be a fundamental challenge that we need to solve,” Moore said.
On a similar note, Page said he planned on getting Saratoga “on the path toward meeting the housing numbers.” He acknowledged that while the state’s housing quotas are meant to address homelessness and provide low-income housing, some of the projects proposed for the city are not ideal. He praised the council for making a deal with a developer to amend a project to build several townhomes instead of a high-rise apartment building, saying that project is the “right size for that community.”
“That’s the thing that frustrates me,” Page said. “The state created a one-size-fits-all program, but one size doesn’t fit all, and one solution any city should not be like every other city.”
Because Los Gatos and Saratoga are both in high wildfire risk zones, Page also highlighted fire preparation was one of his focuses for the year. He emphasized the need for clearing out potentially flammable vegetation and helping make evacuation routes as safe as possible.
Moore also plans to work with the town’s youth commission to implement and educate community members about the statewide plastic bag ban that started on Jan. 1.
Both new mayors said they’re excited about representing their respective communities. This is Page’s third time as mayor of Saratoga. He said that when he started on the council, he was the youngest member, adding that he gained valuable experience on several different advisory boards at the state and local level. “It’s really neat to learn about how all the pieces work together.”
Page said he’s looking forward to celebrating Saratoga’s 70th birthday and the country’s 250th birthday this year.
Moore said he plans to establish a youth and adult community service day called Love Los Gatos.
“I see the role of mayor as engaging in lots of proactive communication with the community, taking on projects and initiatives that are of benefit to the entire community,” Moore added.
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