By: Annabelle Pan
Graphics Editor
Los Gatos will not be holding town council elections this November. Council members Maria Ristow and Matthew Hudes are up for reelection, but because there are no alternative candidates, the Town Council decided to directly appoint Ristow and Hudes again for the next four years. The town’s dilemma of having the same number of council seats as candidates is not particularly rare, as it has occurred in previous town elections and is likely to happen again.
Councilwoman Ristow moved to California from Chicago in 1987 and has served the Los Gatos community in many ways, including volunteering and being involved in local politics. Ristow served on four Town Commissions over a period of six years and, through her election, wants to continue giving back to the community. Ristow was elected for the Los Gatos Town Council in 2020 and will be serving her second term until 2028. For her coming term, she plans to focus on improving traffic safety, creating more affordable housing, and supporting law enforcement.
Councilman Hudes has served in local government for more than ten years and has been a resident of Los Gatos for over thirty years. Hudes served on the Historic Preservation Committee, Planning Commission, Housing Element Advisory Board, and more. He was elected in the 2020 Town Council election at the same time as Ristow. Hudes is also the CEO of a biotech consulting company. In his next four years on the town council, Hudes plans to create a multi-generational community center and, like Ristow, wants to support affordable housing.
The last time there were the same number of candidates as seats in the town council was in the 2012 election, and there were no write-in candidates in that year. A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name is not on the ballot but wants to be elected. They achieve this by asking people to cast a vote by physically writing their name on the ballot. According to town officials, there has not been a write-in candidate in 22 years. When interviewed, Los Gatos residents Gordon Yamate and Lee Fagot stated that they want to see someone challenge Hudes and Ristow because they would like for there to be more representation for underrepresented groups, since the Council members are all Caucasian.
This election cycle and its lack of candidates brings up questions concerning the next council elections in 2026. Mayor Mary Badame and councilmembers Rob Moore and Rob Rennie will likely choose to go up for reelection in 2026, but many Los Gatos residents hope that there will be more racially diverse candidates in future elections and years.