We’re five days away from the San Francisco 49ers’ win-or-go-home playoff showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles, but downtown Los Altos on Tuesday didn’t appear to be taking advantage of the town’s unique connection to the Bay Area’s only NFL team. There were no flag decals hanging outside businesses, nor were the locals wearing gold satin jackets. Aside from an old woman wearing a 49ers hat chatting on the phone outside a coffee shop, the team is virtually non-existent in this affluent neighborhood — surprising, since it’s the location of many leadership choices.
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Los Altos and its suburb Los Altos Hills are where the team’s owner, president and head coach currently live.
The tree-lined hamlet in the foothills of the peninsula has a long history with the team. Quarterback Brock Purdy previously rented a home in Los Altos (and is now joining the Country Club), as did former quarterbacks Steve Young and John Brody. Two late coaches — Steve Mariucci and George Seifert — also called the area home.
FILE: 49ers general manager John Lynch, head coach Kyle Shanahan and CEO Jed York during a press conference at Levi’s Stadium in February 2017. (Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)
If Morgan Hill is the hub for the 49ers players, then Los Altos and Los Altos Hills are the hub for the executives. Several locals shared with SFGATE how they regularly see the team’s principal owner, Jed York; its president of football operations, John Lynch; and head coach Kyle Shanahan on offseason Sundays on the trails or in church pews. On a morning walk with his grandson, Bob Garner said he passed Shanahan’s house and it was easy to tell which one belonged to the coach: There were red and white flowers growing outside.
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Los Altos has a large number of 49ers fans, and even if they don’t display team spirit so prominently, if anything, the general low-key may be what appeals to the executive team.
“People don’t hang around, but everyone appreciates the 49ers,” said Kathy Bridgman, a real estate agent who has worked with Lynch and Shanahan. “We support them and it’s cool that they support us. But we give them space.”
strictly residential
Although Los Altos and Los Altos Hills are technically two towns, they combine to form one larger community. Both were founded in the 1950s, but only Los Altos Hills chose to ban commercial activity. Los Altos, sometimes called “The Condos,” has a downtown and several retail areas, while its counterpart, commonly known as “The Hills,” is strictly residential.
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Today, Los Altos Mountain has become a space mecca. Single-family homes are generally allowed under the town’s zoning rules, with no more than one per acre. Los Altos Hills is located in a peaceful and secluded setting with a network of trails and private security.
Road leading to Rancho San Antonio County Park near Los Altos Hills. (Michael Mafel/Getty Images)
Los Altos Hills City Hall, January 6, 2026. (Silas Valentino/SFGATE)
The town’s resources may appear limited—its main source of sales tax revenue is Foothill College’s bookstore—but its 8,000 residents are often in unique financial situations. Not only is the town popular with sports executives, but it’s also home to several CEOs of major tech companies like Google and Nvidia.
Although it falls under the jurisdiction of the Santa Clara Sheriff’s Office, some Los Altos Hills residents have hired private security companies to patrol their homes or neighborhoods. The town has also contracted with security company PanAmerica to provide supplemental support to the Sheriff’s Department as residential burglaries have increased during the pandemic – up to 60 burglaries in 2023.
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This upscale community has a reputation for being more exclusive than Los Altos in the plains. “In Los Altos, you know your neighbors better,” Garner said. “It’s harder to do that in Los Altos Hills. There’s no trick-or-treating here.” Disputes over property lines or obscured views do occur, however, including one involving a large pool house in 2016 among the owners of the 49ers.
York attempted to build a 756-square-foot cottage next to his 9,000-square-foot home in Los Altos Hills, but the project was halted after neighbors complained to the Planning Commission that it would block their views of the bay. A dispute ensued, with York defending himself at a planning commission meeting. “This is where we want to spend the rest of our lives,” he told commissioners. “We love the town of Los Altos Hills, we love our house, and we hope we can move forward.”
FILE: 49ers CEO Jed York, left, poses with Raiders owner Mark Davis before a game at Levi’s Stadium in November 2018. (Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)
The Los Altos Hills Planning Commission ultimately approved York’s cabin, with some compromises and a lowered roof, but friction between neighbors remained. After the decision was finalized, York refused to shake hands with his neighbors, the Town Gazette reported.
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“it depends [town] “Helping everyone live in harmony,” said Acting City Manager Cody Einfalt, who added that while the population is “eclectic” and “more than just tech CEOs,” residents share a vision to preserve the area’s rural feel.
The last small town in the Bay Area
It is approximately one mile from Los Altos Hills City Hall via Fremont Road to downtown Los Altos. The shady lane passes a farm stand where jars of honey are sold and you can pick up a free copy of Lance Armstrong’s memoirs.
Downtown Los Altos is a densely populated area with some overlapping streets, parking lots, and outdoor seating areas. Just a few buildings rise above the sidewalks of coptis trees, and there are enough cafes clustered together to make Starbucks planners blush. Stores cater to the wealthy — there’s a Steinway Piano Gallery on State Street — and the latest addition to the block is a 20,000-square-foot food court co-developed by the former CEO of 23andMe.
Aerial view of downtown Los Altos in autumn. (serg3d/Getty Images)
A mural celebrating apricots is seen at the Street Market on January 6, 2026 in downtown Los Altos. (Silas Valentino/SFGATE)
Bridgman said some of her clients choose to buy in Los Altos because of its good public and private schools and enjoy the wealth of a quaint village. “Los Altos has a community that Atherton doesn’t have. We have a downtown that’s great for all ages,” she said. “For most people who live in the mountains, it’s how they like to get to downtown. Shanahan likes to walk or bike into town.”
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At the corner of Third and Main streets, Kelly McAuley waited to cross the street with a small pin on her shoulder that read “I <3 Los Altos." She is a Los Altos High School graduate who works in the food industry downtown and currently lives in San Jose.
“It’s one of the last places in the Bay Area that feels like a small town, even though it’s surrounded by big cities,” she said. When it comes to football, however, McCauley said the town is a bit divided. “This is not a town of Nine,” she said. “There are some Raiders fans here. I’m a Raiders fan. I’m more used to seeing Niners fans on Santana Street.”
McCauley is not the only local to hold this view. “The people here don’t look like the ‘Bang Bang Niner Gang,'” Lucky Rae Gomez said at a booth inside Village Pantry Coffee, referencing the team’s popular slogan by Bay Area rapper E-40.
When she first moved to Los Altos, she and Salvador Gomez were having lunch and described how Los Altos had changed over the past 35 years. “In our little cul-de-sac, when people die, their homes sell for amazing prices,” Lucky Ray Gomez said. “There are people who can afford to pay cash – $4 million – for a home.”
Village Pantry Coffee Shop in downtown Los Altos on January 6, 2026. (Silas Valentino/SFGATE)
Salvador Gomez added that he has seen a decrease in the 49ers’ fervent fans as demographics change. “These tech execs and Googlers, they’re five-minute fans and they can’t name the backup quarterback,” he said.
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That’s not to say you won’t find members of the 49ers faithful around. Steve Katz, who has lived in Los Altos since 1975, said his son has been a season ticket holder for decades.
Katz was even at Levi’s Stadium when the 49ers lost to the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday. “The number of injuries finally caught up to that game,” he said. “Seattle is the better team on the field.”
Katz’s sister lives in Philadelphia, and the two made a bet on the outcome of Sunday’s playoff game: The loser would have to fly out for a visit and buy dinner.
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This article was originally published on Why so many San Francisco 49ers executives live in this quiet Bay Area suburb.
