The Las Cumbres Holiday Bazaar will be on Sunday, November 15, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the Las Cumbres Community Center, 18260 Las Cumbres Road. Get an early start on your holiday shopping here in the mountains. You'll find handcrafted j
By Judy Yee · Page 5
Join us at Skyland Church on Saturday, November 7 , at 9:30 a.m., for our next Way to Wellness workshop. Leaders Jean Morrison and Mark Schneider have been refining their ideas on teaching communication skills for years. They host The Commu
By Anne Evans · Page 5
Skyland Community Church will feature my paintings in Whitaker Hall throughout the month of November. I welcome you to my opening reception on Sunday, November 8 , from 11:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. My abstract paintings are inspired by emotions, me
By Masha Strebkova · Page 6
The Loma Prieta Community Foundation will host a Stanford Blood Drive on Saturday, November 21, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The blood drive will be in the Community Center Room at the Mountain Community Complex, 23845 Summit Road, next to B
By Julie Bourque · Page 6
Join us on Saturday, November 7 , to welcome our newest local artist, Anastasiya Bachmanova. She will unveil her Follow the Sun exhibition. Anastasiya’s art will be displayed in our tasting room from November through January. Meet Anastasia
By Rick Leonetti · Page 6
Join us for the third-annual Mountain Community Complex tree lighting on Thursday, December 3 , from 5 to 8 p.m. This free community celebration is one of the special mountain traditions that feels like stepping into a holiday movie. Neighb
By Miriam Watson · Page 7
California Senate Bill 949 designated the Santa Cruz Mountains as a Resource of Statewide Significance and was signed into law on September 25, 2026 by Governor Newsom. The bill was written by Senator Becker and co-authored by Senator Laird
By Debra Staab · Page 8
If you have ever tried to buy a home in the Silicon Valley flatlands, you know the experience. You walk into an open house, make eye contact with a bidding war, and leave three hours later realizing you just offered your firstborn child for
By Keith Kanady · Page 8
If you’ve been stuck on the California FAIR Plan, you’re not alone. The good news is that you may have alternatives. Understanding the difference between admitted and nonadmitted insurers can help you explore those options and compare what
By Dave Millman · Page 10
If you haven’t yet, check out our new and improved website at www.mountainnetworknews.com . Thank you to everyone who reached out with feedback and ideas. We’ve put a lot of work into the site since it was announced, with real improvements
By Eric Horton · Page 12
November brings one of America’s biggest holidays, Thanksgiving. The “First Thanksgiving” took place in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621, when the Pilgrims shared their first successful corn harvest with local Native Americans. They celebrat
By Debra Staab · Page 12
The Los Gatos Youth Commission, as part of their slate of public-transit policy goals for the 2026-27 term, seeks to establish a bus route from Los Gatos to various locations in the mountain community. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation
By Eli Asheghian · Page 13
The holiday season is the busiest time of the year for the U.S. Postal Service, which delivers almost 10 billion pieces of mail and packages between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. If you have holiday packages and cards to mail, don’t wait
By Kathy McKinney · Page 13
Hidden Gem in the Mountains
Nestled in the forest south of Los Gatos and west of Lexington Reservoir, the mountain community of Lake Canyon is defined by its dramatic topography. It features towering second-growth redwoods, steep Douglas fir slopes, and perennial moun
By Bud Everts · Page 14
After enjoying a hike in Mountain View’s Shoreline Park along the San Francisco Bay, I wanted to explore the coastline further north. I found Coyote Hills, a Fremont park with views of Dumbarton Bridge and Bayview Trail. I got that and much
By Neil Wiley · Page 18
Jewel Box. The Jewel Box refers to a neighborhood located in Santa Cruz near the border of Capitola, where all the streets are named after precious jewels. The subdivision known as Opal 1 of the Fairview Tract was constructed in 1923 and in
By Debra Staab · Page 20
Louis Schuesler passed away in his sleep in his beloved town of Los Gatos, after fighting several illnesses, at the age of 93. He is survived by his wife Patricia and his daughter Karen. He and his wife were married for 70 years. He was pro
By Karen Welder · Page 22
Norlyn Marie Wade (Eierman), 84, passed away peacefully on September 29, 2026. Norlyn was born in San Francisco, California, to Evelyn Marie (Berg) and Henry “Norm” Eierman. She was preceded in birth by a few minutes by her twin sister, Mar
Page 23
The lights came up, and my 19-year-old son walked out onto a New York Fashion Week runway with a guitar to open a packed multi-designer show. My twins, Nick and Cambria Gallup, grew up in the Santa Cruz Mountains with Sophia Yankauskas, who
By Tiffaney Gallup · Page 24
Two views of San Carlos Beach in Monterey. The view to the north (left) has Cannery Row in the background with giant kelp and lion’s mane nudibranchs in the foreground. The view to the south (right) has giant kelp in the foreground, the Bre
By Bruce Sudweeks · Page 25
Building Blocks is bringing back its annual community clothing swap, along with a new book swap and a Raven Party potluck. Join us on Saturday, November 21 , from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., to refresh your family’s closets and your children’s book
By Jessie Thorsen · Page 26
Garden. Our amazing garden team, led by Joanna Rahu and Kris Belau, has created a vibrant, hands-on learning environment for our students. In the garden, students connect classroom science with the soil as they discover where their food com
By Kevin Grier & Amy Ramsay · Page 26
At this year’s LPEF gala, attendees perused auction items in a shady redwood grove, while the dance floor was in the center of the main space. The auction, set to a smooth yacht rock soundtrack, brought in 35 percent more than last year, wi
By Blyth Strachman · Page 27
We celebrated the United Nations International Day of Peace with a school assembly. Our fifth-graders shared about this global event’s history and led a paper-crane-making activity at lunch, after summarizing the book, Sadako and the Thousa
By Jason Deppong · Page 28
It’s been a busy, fun-filled fall at Lakeside School. In late September, families gathered for the Lakeside School Community Foundation’s first family movie night of the year. Families and neighbors enjoyed a delicious taco dinner, with all
By Steve Burrell · Page 29