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Los Gatos real estate, neighborhoods, condos, houses, homes, market trends, history, events, lifestyle, parks, events, businesses, home, Mary Pope-Handy

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Live In Los Gatos

The Holiday Season in Los Gatos: So Much To Do!

Dec. 2, 2008
Categorized in: Los Gatos Events

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy New Year to All!December is here, and with it are all the holiday wonders in Los Gatos. Lots is happening in and around our quaint corner of Silicon Valley. Here's the rundown on carriage rides, the festival of lights, the tree lighting ceremony, the Los Gatos holiday parade, and more:

Los Gatos Holiday Events by date:

Thurs. 12/4 6pm - 9pm Fantasy Train of Lights - 1st night Oak Meadow
Thurs. 12/4 10am - 4pm Summit League “Homes for the Holidays 3 homes
Fri. 12/5 10am - 4pm Summit League “Homes for the Holidays 3 homes
Fri. 12/5 4pm Tree lighting ceremony festivities begin Town Park Plaza
Fri. 12/5 6pm Tree lit, Santa arrives, Carriage Rides begin Town Park Plaza
Fri. 12/5 7:30pm Music at the Town Council Chambers LG Civic Center
Sat. 12/6 begins at 11am Holiday parade - Main St., N. Santa Cruz Ave. Downtown
Sun. 12/7 11am - 3pm Santa in the Plaza - bring your camera! Town Park Plaza
Sun. 12/7 11am - 3pm Santa Paws Day - photos of pets & Santa Town Park Plaza
Sun. 12/14 11am - 3pm Santa in the Plaza Town Park Plaza
Sun. 12/21 11am - 3pm Santa in the Plaza Town Park Plaza
 

Ongoing Holiday Events in Los Gatos:

Fantasy of Lights at Vasona Lake County Park - This is the 10th anniversary of the immensely popular drive-through event . It runs 6pm to 10pm every night through Dec 31st. For information on costs, directions, and more, please visit the county parks website, ParkHere.org.

Fantasy Train of Lights - train rides begin December 4th. Not all lights are visible from the train. See the county's park page on this event for more info.

Carriage Rides in downtown Los Gatos - These begin Friday December 5th and happen on various days through December until the 23rd. Please see the Los Gatos Chamber's website for dates, times, prices and to make reservations.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season as you celebrate Advent, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year's, and any other holiday this festive month!

Trees Near the Property Line:
Who Pays to Trim in California?

Oct. 1, 2007
Categorized in: Homes & Housing Market


If you live in Los Gatos, or anywhere along the Santa Cruz Mountains like Almaden, Saratoga or Los Altos, you probably live with trees very near your home, as the San Jose area values its "urban forest". And often enough, those trees arch over fences and property lines.

Majestic Oak Tree at the University of California at Santa CruzEver wonder how tree ownership works in regard to property lines? Well, last week I found out. I had a tree and property line question here in Silicon Valley so called the California Association of Realtors legal hotline and spoke to an attorney about it. (The lawyer referenced case law and sent me info on it: Miller and Starr §§ 14:15, 14:16.)

If the tree trunk is located wholly on one property, the tree is "owned" by that property owner. Even if the branches go over the property line. If the trunk straddles the property line, you have a shared tree.

What about trimming those branches that go over a neighbor's yard?

First of all, this is the wrong time of year for trimming trees. It is best to do it in spring. But if tree branches are an issue for someone now, the neighbor with the branches reaching onto his or her yard has the right to trim those branches back to the property line (and pay for it himself or herself). The neighbor cannot demand that the tree owner pay to trim the branches. And the neighbor cannot harm the tree or kill it (or chop it down). If the neighbor harms the tree, he or she could be liable for damages.

This is also true of the roots. The neighbor can trim the roots if they are really causing a problem, but cannot harm the tree. Cutting back roots can cause trees to die or become so unstable as to fall down, so trimming roots should be the last resort.

The tree owner's responsibility regarding the tree and the property adjacent to it is simple: if the tree harms the neighbor's property, the tree owner could be liable for damages. So enormous oak trees with limbs hanging over a neighbor's roof could spell disaster (oak trees are known for simply dropping big branches on hot summer days). Tree branches interwoven with phone lines could be a problem in a winter storm too.

It's always best to talk with the neighbor before doing anything, of course, and to give them a little notice. If you're the neighbor, ask when the tree owner wants to trim the tree.(It will probably be in spring.) If you're the tree owner, ask your neighbors when you plan to trim your tree if they'd like you to trim the part hanging into their yard too. Some will say yes, and some no!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Post Script:

Please note that I am a Realtor, not a lawyer, and cannot give you legal advice. In many states, you may trim the branches up to your property line or pay someone to do it for you, as long as you do not harm the tree or go beyond your own property line. 

If you have a question, please do not mark it as "private". I will not get your email address and will be unable to answer you privately. Answers will be posted here.

Should you require legal help and cannot afford a private attorney, please find your local Legal Aid office, which will provide low cost or no cost legal services.

Arbor Day

Apr. 27, 2007
Categorized in: Los Gatos Events
Tagged with: arbor day, tree


Today is Arbor Day. I realize that this may sound like a real yawner at first, but consider how passionate Los Gatans are about their trees, about the history we have with them here and throughout the Santa Clara Valley (Silicon Valley) area, and how important an "urban forest" is in our region.  About the only trees you can be sure you can cut down are the non-indigenous eucalyptus trees.

At noon today, Friday April 27th, a tree planting ceremony and award from Tree City USA will occur at the Oak Hill playlot at 118 Oak Park Drive. Need more info? Call
 (408) 399-5776.