Joe Simitian is the County Supervisor for the Fifth District of Santa Clara County. The district includes Saratoga, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Palo Alto, Mountain View, Cupertino, Stanford, Los Altos, and Los Altos Hills, along with portions of San Jose. He was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2012 and was re-elected in 2016 and 2020. 

Joe's public service over the years includes serving as a member of the California State Senate, the California State Assembly, Mayor of Palo Alto, President of the Palo Alto School Board, and an earlier term on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. 

Joe brings to his work a wide-ranging perspective and background -- service at all levels of state and local government, hands-on experience in the private sector, as well as professional education and training particularly applicable to his work in public service. 

During his tenure on the Board, Joe has worked to protect vital services in Saratoga. He partnered with the City of Saratoga and the Hakone Foundation on much needed repairs at Hakone, including repairs to the Mon Roof, the Tea Ceremony building, and the koi ponds. 

He has championed expanded community access to the Montalvo Arts Center through free community events, scholarships, and new programs. He has led the County’s ongoing support for the West Valley Community Services mobile food pantry that stops in Saratoga, benefitting seniors, students, and families.

Joe has also supported the expansion of the Santa Clara County Central Fire Protection District’s Pre-Fire Management and Wildfire Resilience program, which serves a portion of Saratoga. And he pushed for the County’s support for ADA-related upgrades at the Los Gatos-Saratoga Adult Recreation Center to improve access to the center's continuing education, health services and nutrition referrals, counseling, and volunteer and socialization opportunities.

Christina Irving is the Client Services Director at Family Caregiver Alliance, National Center on Caregiving. She oversees the staff of the Bay Area Caregiver Resource Center who provide direct services to family caregivers, including assessment, counseling, education, and support. She has been with FCA for over 16 years, first as a Family Consultant and then as Clinical Supervisor. She received a Master’s degree in Social Work from San Jose State University and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.

Lisa J. Blanchard – Executive Director and Founder: As founder, Lisa has been the guiding force and visionary of The Grateful Garment Project. Lisa’s unique combination of experience in nonprofit, customer service, law, and management produces the creative and conceptual leadership required to bring The Grateful Garment Project to the State of California and beyond. She has dedicated significant amounts of time to working with people not only professionally, but also in a volunteer capacity. Lisa holds an AS in Business, a BS in Human Services and a Masters in Nonprofit Administration. It is her vision that no victim of sexual assault ever experience further suffering due to lack of resources.

Tentative Date

Assistant Superintendent - Student Services

Los Gatos Saratoga Unified School District

From Saratoga Chamber of Commerce

Author: San Jose Scavenger

Organization: Friends of Children with Special Needs

Emeritus Exec. Director Mineta Tranportation Inst.