Monte Sereno ( Spanish for "Serene Mountain") is a city in

Santa Clara County, California Santa Clara County, officially the County of Santa Clara, is the sixth-most populous county in the U.S. state of California, with a population of 1,936,259 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Santa Clara County and neighboring Sa ...

, United States. The population was 3,479 at the 2020 census. The city is located in the foothills of the

Santa Cruz Mountains The Santa Cruz Mountains ( Mutsun Ohlone: Mak-sah-re-jah, "Sharp Ridged Mountain of the Eagle" or "People of the Eagle Mountain") are a mountain range in central and Northern California, United States, constituting a part of the Pacific Coast R ...

, about southwest of San Jose, and is bordered by the town of Los Gatos to the north, east, and south, the Santa Cruz Mountains to the southwest, and the city of Saratoga to the northwest. The city is named for the El Sereno Mountain, upon the slopes of which the southern portion of the city is built. The community is entirely residential with no commercial zoning and 99% single-family housing. It is an upscale

Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that is a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical area of the Santa Clara Valley ...

commuter town A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

. Monte Sereno shares the Zip code 95030 with the town of Los Gatos. Many municipal services are provided under contract by Los Gatos.

History

The Monte Sereno area was part of the 1839

Alta California Alta California (, ), also known as Nueva California () among other names, was a province of New Spain formally established in 1804. Along with the Baja California peninsula, it had previously comprised the province of , but was made a separat ...

land grant of Rancho Rinconada de Los Gatos. The city incorporated on May 14, 1957, to protect its semi-rural atmosphere. Its first Mayor was Retired Vice Admiral and former Director of Naval Intelligence, Thomas B. Inglis.

John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck ( ; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer. He won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social percep ...

wrote ''

The Grapes of Wrath ''The Grapes of Wrath'' is an American realist novel written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939. The book won the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and it was cited prominently when Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize ...

'' and ''

Of Mice and Men ''Of Mice and Men'' is a 1937 novella written by American author John Steinbeck. It describes the experiences of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant worker, migrant ranch workers, as they move from place to place in California ...

'' in a wooded home at 16250 Greenwood Lane in what is now Monte Sereno.

Beat generation The Beat Generation was a literary subculture movement started by a group of authors whose work explored and influenced American culture and politics in the post-World War II era. The bulk of their work was published and popularized by members o ...

figure Neal Cassady lived in a Monte Sereno ranch house in the 1950s. Painter Thomas Kinkade lived in Monte Sereno in the later years of his life until his death.

Geography

Monte Sereno is located at . According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all of it land. San Tomas Aquino Creek forms its western border. Saratoga-Los Gatos Road ( State Route 9) runs through the city. The El Sereno Open Space Preserve is immediately south of the city and covers the top and portions of the flanks of El Sereno mountain.

Demographics

2020

The 2020 United States census reported a population of 3,479, with a population density of 2,100 people per square mile (810.81/km²). The racial makeup is 2,354 (67.6%)

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 26 (0.7%)

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 9 (0.25%) Native American, 682 (19.6%) Asian, 3 (0.09%)

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 44 (1.26%) from other races, and 361 (10.4%) from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 230 persons (6.6%). There was 1,270 households. The median age of Monte Sereno residents is 53.7, significantly higher than the California average of 37.9. 16.9% are under 18.

2010

The 2010 United States Census reported that Monte Sereno had a population of 3,341. The population density was . The racial makeup of Monte Sereno was 2,698 (80.8%)

, 14 (0.4%)

, 12 (0.4%) Native American, 464 (13.9%) Asian, 0 (0.0%)

, 28 (0.8%) from other races, and 125 (3.7%) from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 162 persons (4.8%). The Census reported that 100% of the population lived in households. There were 1,211 households, out of which 433 (35.8%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 917 (75.7%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 59 (4.9%) had a female householder with no husband present, 26 (2.1%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 14 (1.2%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships, and 8 (0.7%) same-sex married couples or partnerships. 178 households (14.7%) were made up of individuals, and 87 (7.2%) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76. There were 1,002

families Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...

(82.7% of all households); the average family size was 3.05. The population was spread out, with 816 people (24.4%) under the age of 18, 156 people (4.7%) aged 18 to 24, 487 people (14.6%) aged 25 to 44, 1,235 people (37.0%) aged 45 to 64, and 647 people (19.4%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.2 males. There were 1,287 housing units at an average density of , of which 1,090 (90.0%) were owner-occupied, and 121 (10.0%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3%; the rental vacancy rate was 5.4%. 3,030 people (90.7% of the population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 311 people (9.3%) lived in rental housing units.

2000

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 3,483 people, 1,211 households, and 1,024 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,237 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 83.61%

, 0.17%

, 0.06% Native American, 12.29% Asian, 0.03%

, 1.06% from other races, and 2.78% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 3.59% of the population. In the city 604 people are foreign born, 6.7% from

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

, 3% from

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, and 2.7% from other

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

n countries. There were 1,211 households, out of which 39.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 78.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 4.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.4% were non-families. 12.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.13. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.8% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, 32.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.6 males. The

median income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of unde ...

for a household in the city was $154,268, and the median income for a family was $156,706. The unemployment rate in 2015 was 3.7%. Males had a median income of $100,000+ versus $41,875 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $76,577. About 3.1% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Of Monte Sereno's 2,687 registered voters, 43% are registered Democrats while 26% are registered Republicans, according to a January 2022 report by the

California Secretary of State The secretary of state of California is the chief clerk of the U.S. state of California, overseeing a department of 500 people. The Secretary of state (U.S. state government), secretary of state is elected for four year terms, like the state's o ...

. In the state legislature, Monte Sereno is in the 15th

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

District, represented by Democrat Dave Cortese, and in the 28th Assembly District, represented by Democrat Evan Low. Federally, Monte Sereno is in . Monte Sereno is also served by District 1 Santa Clara County Supervisor Sylvia Arenas.

Schools

Most of Monte Sereno's residents are served by the Los Gatos Union Elementary School or Saratoga Elementary School districts (for elementary and middle schools) and Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School Districts (for high school). A small portion of residents, primarily in the Bicknell Road area, are served by the Campbell Union School and the Campbell Union High School districts.

Public services

Public services for Monte Sereno are served by those of the town of Los Gatos. These include the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department, the Los Gatos Parks and Recreation Department, and Los Gatos youth sports leagues.

Government

Monte Sereno is a General Law City incorporated on May 14, 1957. It operates under the City Council-City Manager form of local government, which combines the political leadership of a five-member elected City Council with the strong professional experience of an appointed local government administrator (City Manager) who is responsible for the day-to-day administrative operation of the city, including preparation of the budget, delivery of services, hiring of personnel, and implementation of capital projects. City Council elections are held the first Tuesday of November in even-numbered years. The election is nonpartisan, and the councilmembers are elected "at large" to serve the entire community rather than by district. The councilmembers are elected to four-year terms. In 1998, voters approved an ordinance limiting the number of terms a member of the Monte Sereno City Council may serve on the City Council to two consecutive four-year terms with a right to hold office again only after at least two years have elapsed since that person last held office. In 2004, the City Council voted to cancel the election because only the two incumbents whose terms were up, Erin Garner and David Baxter, filed candidacy papers to run for the two available seats. However, in 2008, the City Council voted to hold the election for the two available seats despite there being only two candidates, Lana Malloy and Susan Garner. (1) Javed Ellahie, Burton Craig, and Evert Wolsheimer were appointed to the council rather than holding an election in November 2022 because they were the only three residents who submitted candidacy forms for the three open council seats. (2) Council Member LaBouve resigned on September 1, 2020.
(3) On March 5, 2019, Council Members Turner, Leuthold and Lawler voted to strip Mayor Rogers of his title of Mayor and elevate Vice Mayor Turner to Mayor and make Council Member Lawler the Vice Mayor.
(4) Daniel LaBouve was appointed on May 7, 2019, to fill Curtis Rogers' seat after Mr. Rogers resigned on March 5, 2019.
(5) Evert Wolsheimer was appointed on November 3, 2015, to fill Susan Garner's seat.
(6) Lon Allan was appointed January 21, 2014, to fill Julie Wiltshire's seat.
(7) Julie Wiltshire resigned in December 2013 when she moved out of the city.
(8) Marshall Anstandig was appointed November 18, 2008, to fill Alan Aerts' seat after Mr. Aerts resigned on October 21, 2008, for health reasons.
(9) Appointed April 13, 2000, to fill Joel Gambord's seat when Mr. Gambord moved out of the city.

Notable events

Christmas decorations

A dispute between two neighbors over extravagant

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

decorations gained Monte Sereno attention in national news. For years, Bonnie and Alan Aerts of Monte Sereno had showcased elaborate holiday displays in their front yard, costing as much as

US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...

150,000. The displays attracted large masses of visitors, resulting in great traffic around the normally quiet

cul-de-sac A dead end, also known as a ''cul-de-sac'' (; , ), a no-through road or a no-exit road, is a street with only one combined inlet and outlet. Dead ends are added to roads in urban planning designs to limit traffic in residential areas. Some d ...

of four houses. Neighbors Le and Susan Nguyen protested, and, in late 2003, the city council voted 3-2 (Nesbet, Brodsky, Wright for; Garner, Baxter against) to pass an ordinance regarding "regulation of special events," which would require permits for such displays. In 2004, on the first Christmas season for which the law was effective, the Aertses declined to apply for a permit, which would allow the Aertses' holiday display to be active only for 12 hours in a 72-hour period and would require a 30-day waiting period before a new 72-hour permit could be applied for. Instead, they erected a huge, 10-foot-tall Grinch on their lawn, who swayed from side while singing " You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch". The Grinch's outstretched arm pointed conspicuously at the home of the Nguyens. The spectacle gained mention from the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

and NPR. The Aertses and the Nguyens also appeared on

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', sometimes shortened to ''JKL'', is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, and broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show tapes and is based out of the Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywo ...

, a late night talk show.

City in Turmoil in 2019

In February 2019, newly elected Council Member Shawn Leuthold successfully led an effort to change how Monte Sereno would select its mayor in the future, arguing that the City was violating the law in election years by choosing the Mayor for the next year, prior to the seating of the newly-elected council members. In March 2019, the Council went a step further and removed Mayor Curtis Rogers from his position as mayor, and then appointed the then-current Vice Mayor Rowena Turner as Mayor with Council Member Liz Lawler being appointed as Vice Mayor (with Council Members Turner, Lawler, and Leuthold voting for the changes and Council Members Javed Ellahie and Rogers voting against). Upon being removed as Mayor, Council Member Rogers resigned. The Council appointed Daniel LaBouve to fill the vacancy. During the course of the remainder of the year, most of the City staff resigned, including the finance officer, city attorney, building official, city manager, and city clerk. The City staff also decided to unionize for the first time in Monte Sereno's 60-year history.

Notable people

File:ThomasKinkade.jpg, Thomas Kinkade, American painter of popular realistic,

pastoral The pastoral genre of literature, art, or music depicts an idealised form of the shepherd's lifestyle – herding livestock around open areas of land according to the seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. The target au ...

, and idyllic subjects. File:John Steinbeck 1939 (cropped).jpg,

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

-winning author wrote

and finished

while living in Monte Sereno. File:Jack_Tramiel_retuschiert.jpg,

Jack Tramiel Jack Tramiel (, ); born Idek Trzmiel (; December 13, 1928 – April 8, 2012) was a Polish- American businessman and Holocaust survivor, best known for founding Commodore International. The Commodore PET, VIC-20, and Commodore 64 are som ...

Polish American Polish Americans () are Americans who either have total or partial Polish ancestry, or are citizens of the Republic of Poland. There are an estimated 8.81 million self-identified Polish Americans, representing about 2.67% of the U.S. population, ...

businessman and Holocaust survivor, best known for founding

Commodore International Commodore International Corporation was a home computer and electronics manufacturer with its head office in The Bahamas and its executive office in the United States founded in 1976 by Jack Tramiel and Irving Gould. It was the successor compan ...

. The

Commodore PET The Commodore PET is a line of personal computers produced starting in 1977 by Commodore International. A single all-in-one case combines a MOS Technology 6502 microprocessor, Commodore BASIC in read-only memory, keyboard, monochrome monitor ...

VIC-20 The VIC-20 (known as the VC-20 in Germany and the VIC-1001 in Japan) is an 8-bit entry level home computer that was sold by Commodore International, Commodore Business Machines. The VIC-20 was announced in 1980, roughly three years after Commod ...

, and

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in ...

are some

home computer Home computers were a class of microcomputers that entered the market in 1977 and became common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a s ...

s produced while he was running the company.

References

External links

City of Monte Sereno official website

Map of El Sereno Open Space Preserve

{{authority control Cities in Santa Clara County, California Cities in the San Francisco Bay Area Incorporated cities and towns in California Silicon Valley