The Los Gatos Town Council voted 5-0 last Tuesday to renew the police department's authority to keep using military-designated equipment, including AR-15 rifles, drones and flash bangs, under a state law that forces cities to publicly re-justify their law enforcement arsenals every year. The vote reaffirmed Ordinance No. 2329, the town's governing policy for equipment the state classifies as military-grade, even though the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department reported just one use-of-force incident in 2019 and has never had a fatality from a police chase.
The renewal, formalized as Resolution 2026-051, confirmed that the department's military equipment use complied with town standards, according to the Town of Los Gatos. Mayor Rob Moore, Vice Mayor Maria Ristow, and Councilmembers Rob Rennie, Matthew Hudes and Mary Badame all voted in favor. As reported by The Mercury News, Vice Mayor Ristow said the police department's level of de-escalation is remarkable, a comment that captured the council's stance heading into the vote.
What the Policy Actually Covers
The annual review exists because of Assembly Bill 481, a 2021 state law signed by Governor Gavin Newsom that requires law enforcement agencies to get governing-body approval before funding, acquiring or using equipment the state defines as military-style, and to file annual public reports on it. According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the law was authored by former Assemblymember David Chiu to increase transparency around 15 categories of police equipment, a net that catches items many residents wouldn't necessarily think of as military hardware.
The Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department's equipment falls into four categories: unmanned remotely piloted aerial and ground vehicles, specialized firearms and ammunition under .50 caliber, kinetic energy weapons and munitions, and noise-flash diversionary devices, per the Mercury News's reporting. That list translates into rifles and ammunition, a 40mm launcher, drones, and tear gas — all now formally reauthorized for another year.
A Local Arsenal Built Without Federal Surplus
The department's original inventory disclosure, reported by the Los Gatan in April 2022, showed 44 AR-15 rifles, two .308 sniper rifles, a $12,389 RoboteX tactical robot, and a $6,902 Skydio drone, along with 50 mini noise-flash diversionary devices and six handheld tear gas canisters. At the time, Captain Derek Moye told the outlet that none of the department's military-designated equipment came through U.S. Department of Defense surplus programs — the gear was purchased commercially, not handed down from the Pentagon.
That inventory was first approved when the council adopted Ordinance No. 2329 on April 5, 2022, following a mandatory 30-day public notice period, since AB 481 required California municipalities to formally approve preexisting law enforcement gear inventories before May 2022. Under state law, agencies must post proposed equipment policies online at least 30 days ahead of hearings and hold an annual community engagement meeting, according to the City of Richmond.
Residents Split Over Surveillance Fears and Safety Claims
Public comment at last Tuesday's meeting broke down largely along familiar lines, per The Mercury News. Opponents emphasized instances of violence against civilians during ICE raids, fears of increasing surveillance, and current political tensions as reasons to scrutinize the renewal. Supporters countered that the equipment is necessary to keep residents safe and maintain neighborhood character.
One resident, identified in the Mercury News report as Malcolm, argued that having more options for force can make officers more inclined to use them and less likely to pursue ethical de-escalation. Another speaker, Fred Faltersack, took the opposite position, saying an escalation of violence would require equipment to meet that escalation and that unused equipment would simply remain available if never needed.
Low Crime Numbers Fuel the Debate
The dispute plays out against a backdrop of unusually low local crime. FBI data compiled by Niche for 2024 put Los Gatos's assault rate at 81.7 per 100,000 residents, far below the national benchmark of 282.7 per 100,000, with property crime also running well under national averages. Statewide, the picture has been improving too: the California Department of Justice reported on July 1 that violent crime fell 10.2% and property crime dropped 14.3% between 2024 and 2025, with homicide rates reaching their lowest level in nearly six decades, according to the Governor's Office.
Los Gatos isn't alone in going through this exercise. Agencies across Santa Clara County, including the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office and West Valley-Mission Community College District Police, undergo the same annual AB 481 reviews and reauthorizations, according to the West Valley-Mission Community College District. Supporters of the equipment point to real-world de-escalation cases elsewhere in the state; Hoodline reported in July that Santa Monica police used a 40mm less-lethal launcher — the same category of tool now reauthorized in Los Gatos — to disarm a hatchet-wielding suspect without resorting to deadly force.
For now, the council's unanimous vote keeps the department's current toolkit in place for another year, with the next public review required to follow the same 30-day notice and hearing process mandated by state law.
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