Fed up with crime, an Almaden homeowners' association has sued San Jose in the latest escalation of its longstanding gate dispute

"SAN JOSE - For nearly two decades, frustrations between residents of Country View Custom Estates and the city have festered. Residents of the wealthy "restrictive access" Almaden Valley enclave has long sought to install gates around their community, pointing to brazen criminals who have tormented the neighborhood with waves of home invasions, burglaries, robberies, car break-ins, hate crimes, mail and package thefts, and trespassing on their private streets. San Jose's planning department, however, has denied their requests three times - most recently last year."

"Many residents blame the city for the area's crime issues, believing gates could have blunted some of the harm. Mike Barna, president of the homeowners' association, said he has come face-to-face with "thugs" in his home. Other residents report burglars routinely casing their multi-million-dollar homes or following them home from the nearby Safeway. A man who was not apprehended was observed on surveillance cameras stopping at houses with a rented U-Haul truck and stealing packages from their porches."

Country View Custom Estates residents have sought permission to install gates for nearly two decades and have had requests denied by San Jose's planning department three times. Residents report repeated home invasions, burglaries, robberies, car break-ins, hate crimes, mail and package thefts, and trespassing on private streets. The neighborhood filed a $160 million lawsuit alleging violations of constitutional, civil and property rights and claiming planning officials exhibited bias in the public access dispute. Reported burglary rates were about ten times the city rate as of 2022, and homeowners report insurance premiums rising dramatically.

Read at The Mercury News