CITY OF MONTE SERENO by Amazon Stones

The Monte Sereno area was part of the 1839 Alta California land grant of Rancho Rinconada de Los Gatos. The city incorporated on May 14, 1957 to protect its semi-rural atmosphere.

John Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men in a wooded home at 16250 Greenwood Lane in what is now Monte Sereno.

Beat generation figure Neal Cassady lived in a Monte Sereno ranch house in the 1950s.

Notable events

Christmas Decorations - A dispute between two neighbors over extravagant Christmas decorations gained Monte Sereno attention in national news. Bonnie and Alan Aerts of Monte Sereno had for years showcased elaborate holiday displays, costing as much as US$150,000, on their front yard. The displays attracted large masses of visitors, resulting in great traffic around the normally quiet cul-de-sac 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. On the first Christmas season for which the law was effective (in 2004), the Aertses declined to apply for a permit, which would allow the Aerts's 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 outsretched arm pointed conspicuously at the home of the Nguyens.

The spectacle gained mention from the Associated Press and NPR. The Aerts and the Nguyens also appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live, a late night talk show, about the situation.

Padgett Lawsuit - - Darla and Joe Padgett and the City of Monte Sereno have been engaged in various lawsuits stemming out of incidents relating to the Padgett's building of a home which was started in 1999. The City began with allegations of code violations and a too-tall wooden fence and later the Padgetts claimed, and later proved, a city employee had written them a threatening letter and that there had been numerous other attempts made to intimidate them. In September 2007, Monte Sereno's city manager, Brian Loventhal, was found to have destroyed evidence and in June 2009 a jury found Mayor Curtis Wright violated the couple's civil rights and awarded the Padgetts $1 in compensatory damages, $200,000 in punitive damages, and awarded more than $4,000,000 in attorney's fees—more than the City's entire annual budget.