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.

Now the neighborhood is fighting back with a $160 million lawsuit against the city, accusing planning officials of violating Country View residents’ constitutional, civil and property rights, and exhibiting bias against them th