September 2026 · Volume MMXXVI, Number 9 classifieds

Listings

LPEF Gala 7 Loma Prieta Future Fund 7 Happy Place by Gordon Smedt 8 Engineering saved my art career 8 San Francisco Brass Band 9 Premier Cruz 9 Capitola Beach Festival 10 Burrell School Winery events 11 The Fed and mortgage rates 12 Riva Ridge wildfire prep 12 Surfnet 13 Lago Lomita Vineyards 14 A heartfelt goodbye from Dr. Z 14 Mount Tamalpais State Park 18 Chemeketa Park turns 100 20 Bruce Sudweeks 22 David Bivolcic 23 Mercury Freedom 24 Summer reading program 26

LPEF priorities 27 Lakeside School 28 Building Blocks Preschool 29 and business directory 30 The September issue of Mountain Network News 23409 Deerfield Road Los Gatos, CA 95033 Email to kathy@paralleldesign.com Telephone: 408-529-1431 Publisher Kathy McKinney Cover Design Amy Sirota Editorial staff Deana Arnold, Ellen Bond, Gina Foster (editor emeritus), Karole Ishida, Jana McBurney-Lin, Suzanne Overstreet, and Neil Wiley. Articles We invite individuals and organizations to submit letters and articles. Email kathy@paralleldesign. com. For information, call 408-529-1431. We reserve the right to edit submissions. We assume no responsibility for errors, omissions, or authors’ opinions. Deadline: 10th of the preceding month. Advertising Closing date: 10th of the preceding month. We assume no responsibility for advertisers’ submissions. 2026 Ad Rates Business card, vertical (3 3/4” high by 2 1/2” wide) $165 Business card, horiz. (2 1/4” high by 3 3/4” wide) 165 Jumbo business card (2 1/4” high by 5” wide) 236 Quarter-page, vertical (4 1/2” high by 3 3/4” wide) 302 Quarter-page, horizontal (2 1/4” high by 7 1/2” wide) 302 Third-page, column (10” high by 2½” wide) 412 Third-page, horizontal (3 1/4” high by 7 1/2” wide) 412 Half-page (4 1/2” high by 7 1/2” wide) 495 Two-thirds page (2 columns, 10” high by 5” wide) 616 Two-thirds page (6 1/4” high by 7 1/2” wide) 616 Page (10" high by 7 1/2" wide) 935 Special position add 20% Four-color page or 2/3 page add $500 Four-color half, third- or quarter-page ad add $250 Four-color business card add $100 Frequency discounts available. and business directory $9 per formatted line Circulation More than 4000 homes and businesses in the Santa Cruz Mountains Juan Carlos Huerta (408) 833-2977

P.O Box 968 | Los Gatos, CA 95031 juancarlos@huertastreeservice.com www.huertastreeservice.com CSL #948403 • Full Tree Service • Stump Grinding • Fully Insured • Free Estimates Our Cover Sun Burst 64” x 48” oil on canvas Gordon Smedt Our September cover features a new painting by Summit-area artist and longtime mountain resident Gordon Smedt. This is one of his paintings that will be featured at the Whitney Modern Gallery in downtown Los Gatos through September 27. The exhibition, Happy Place, features a joyful new body of work incorporating sunflowers into nostalgic objects. Read more about Gordon’s exhibition, and how engineering saved his art career, on page 8.

AERIAL PROPERTY ASSESSMENTS BEFORE SOMEONE ELSE FLIES YOUR PROPERTY, get your own aerial view first. Drone-based wildfire-preparedness assessments. Identify risks, improve defensible space, and better understand your property from above. Local resident. Licensed and insured. Straightforward insights you can act on. loretogeo.com.

Animal Care

PURRFECT PET CARE Mtn Resident. Reliable care for all of your animals. Sandi Greenhill, 408-348-5771

PARADISE DOG BOARDING Unlimited playtime on 5 fenced acres. Comfy beds indoors. A vacation for your dog while you’re away. Text/call 831-600-5651

DEB’S PET CARE Since 1989. Daily visits. Quality time. Insured. Deb Arneson. 831-331-1992

Chipping

AFFORDABLE CHIPPING Silver Maple Tree Service LLC. Hourly rate, call Jay 408- 480-6776. silvermapletreeservicellc.com.

Cleaning

ARNS CARPET CLEANING Hard floor and grout steam cleaning. Deep carpet, stair, area rug, and upholstery cleaning. Non-toxic, fast-drying method. Free estimates. 408-656-5323

LANGARICA HOUSECLEANING Eco-friendly. 831-707-0975 Alejandro, 831-707-7301 Maria LUANNE’S HOUSECLEANING. 831-706-2510. Est. Mtns since 1995. Detail-oriented, tailored to your needs, goes the extra mile. Great refs.

Electrical

BINGO ELECTRIC provides quality residential and commercial electrical services. Specializing in troubleshooting, repairs, installation, main/sub panel upgrades. Generac certified technicians for scheduled maintenance services. 888-433-4024

MASTERSON ELECTRIC Commercial & residential electrical contractor. Call Tom Everett, 408-580-7026 or email tmastersonelectric@gmail.com. Lic# 1110981

Excavation

STILLE EXCAVATION Ifyoucandreamitwecandigit.com. 408- 781-2731. Lic #620755 CUNNINGHAM TRACTOR, INC. For all your earth-moving needs. Providing quality dirt work for mountain residences. Kevin 408-515-1871. lic# 1000058. www.cunninghamtractorinc.com MASON TRACTOR GRADING & EXCAVATING. Give us a call. We’ll move the earth for you. Lic#870450 office 408-353-2836 cell 408-761-0794

Firewood

MOBILE FIREWOOD SPLITTING We cut, split and stack your fallen trees into usable firewood. Call Jay 408-480-6776. silvermapletreeservicellc.com.

Handyman

LOW-COST CONSTRUCTION & REPAIR. Roofing, Decking, Retaining Walls, Home Additions & Remodeling of all kinds. You name it, we do it. No job too big or too small. Super workmanship and excellent local references. 831-840-6642

Knife Sharpening

KNIFE AND CHAINSAW SHARPENING in Villa Del Monte. Text or call Michael 650-906-4332 Shop Local! Support the small businesses that help bring the Mountain Network News to over 4,000 homes every month.

KARLA’S CLEANING LLC Standard and deep cleaning, move-in/out, post construction, and extras. Licensed and bonded. 408-849-9404, karlaramos4@ hotmail.com, wwwkarlascleaning.com.

College Consulting

SERVICES COLLEGE CONSULTING for HS students. Help with college essays, application support from start to finish, and academic coaching. 408-910-8181.

Contractors

TDA CONSTRUCTION, General Contractor. Decks, sheds, remodels, additions, and more. Licensed, bonded, and insured. Teunis Aarenoudse. 669-246-0972, info@tda- construction.com PACIFIC MT. HORTICULTURE Design. Build. Cultivate. www.pacmthort.com. #582726 CONSTRUCTIVE SERVICES. Home improvement and remodeling. Kirk@ constructive-services.net. 408-505-2500

SUMMIT DECK DOCTOR: Deck refinishing, repair and build. Protect your deck from the Super El Niño: get it stained before the rains! Our slogan is “Looks good, lasts long, job done.” Call Rupert at 408 353

DECK (3325) for a free estimate. Lic#928487.

Land Clearing

SERNA’S LAND CLEARING AND HAULING Land clearing and fire breaks. Brush and poison oak removal. Debris clean-up and hauling. Chipping and firewood. Mulching tractors. Fecon equipment. Call 831-227-6373. C.

STILLE EXCAVATION Ifyoucandreamitwecandigit.com. 408- 781-2731. Lic #620755 LAND CLEARING & MORE. Chaparral and grass removal for defensible space. Wood chipping and masticating equipment. Stump grinding. Lot clearing. Ditch cleaning for rain prep. Excavator work. Small demos. Grading, asphalt patching. Hole drilling for retaining walls or fences. Delivery up to 5 tons of quarry material. Call or text 831-588-4372.

Landscaping

PACIFIC MT. HORTICULTURE Design. Build. Cultivate. www.pacmthort.com. #582726 R.

SMITH LANDSCAPE CONCRETE Pavers, decks, artificial grass, retaining walls, fences, and more. 408-849-6701. rodolforsmith@gmail.com.

Painting

LICKETY-SPLIT PAINTING Specials on interior painting. Save $$. Mountain resident. Neat, clean, responsible, high quality, low rates since 1994. Lic#693617. Robert, 408-265-0564

Preschool

VILLA DEL MONTE MONTESSORI PRESCHOOL 650-793-4520 www.villadelmontemontessori.com ROOFING ROYCE’S ROOFING. Specializing in roof repairs and reroofs. Can your roof use some TLC? Maybe a new roof? Gutters or roof cleaned? Schedule your free est. Lic# 890941. Exp. Since 1993. 408-353-6115

Spa Services

SANA SPA ON SUMMIT A spa for healing, beauty, and self-care. Located less than a mile from Highway 17, we offer facials, microneedling, waxing, massage, cosmetic and body art tattoo. A quiet, welcoming space designed for your comfort and care. Stay local. By appointment only, text 408-707-4528.

Stump Grinding

STUMP GRINDING None too big or too small we grind them all. Call J.J. 408-480- 6776. silvermapletreeservicellc.com.

Water

WATER LEVEL MEASUREMENT See your water tank level on your phone or computer anytime. Notifications + API. 408-835-3828, www.HydriQ.net BULK POTABLE WATER DELIVERY & WATER TANK CLEANING SERVICE Pure Water Plus -

H2O4U Call for quote 408-370-7130

CONSTRUCTIVE SERVICES, INC. System design. Water treatment and distribution. Water testing and filtration. State and county compliance sampling and reporting. System automation. Troubleshooting. Tank replacement. KIRK@CONSTRUCTIVE-SERVICES.

NET 408-505-2500 C.

STILLE EXCAVATION Ifyoucandreamitwecandigit.com. 408- 781-2731. Lic #620755 YOGA CUPS OF YOGA. For your day, week, heart, soul. Yoga studio and events. Group and private yoga classes on the Mtn. Jaime 831-200-8802, www. cupsofyoga.com.MOTORCYCLE/ATV REPAIR ADVENTURE READY MOTOSPORTS Motorcycle/ATV/SXS maintenance and repair. Jason Snetsinger 408-838-8383 www.adventurereadymotosports.com NOTARY PUBLIC CRUZ MOBILE NOTARY SERVICE. Both counties, same day and after-hours service available. Ann and Mike Scherer. 408-353-6453