3 CHEERS:
To Joseph Trela, who took the road less traveled
… and used the money (he won) to help his family.
The following organizations and individuals deserve either CHEERS or JEERS this week:
JEERS: In advance to anyone who receives a citation from the city for lighting off illegal fireworks, or for lighting safe-and-sane fireworks in areas they are not allowed. There has been plenty of warning, and illegal fireworks are one of the main causes of Fourth of July fires. Be smart and stay safe.
Cheers: to Joseph Trela, who took the road less traveled. In 2000, Joe won $1 million on the game show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire,” and instead of lavishing a grandiose lifestyle upon himself, he used the money to help his family. He used a chunk of the winnings to buy a house for one brother and helped another brother pay for college. Meanwhile, Joe leased himself a modest Chevrolet Impala and continued to live with his mother to help care for his grandmother and a third brother who is disabled. His humility and wisdom are humbling. “It seemed the natural way to do it,” he said. Trela is an example for us all.
Jeers: to the soccer league that plays its weekend games on the vast lawns behind the baseball diamond at Gilroy High School. They leave the grounds littered with paper, empty packaging, scores of empty plastic water bottles, and soiled diapers, to name just a few of the choice items left behind. School officials should either force them to clean up after themselves, (why should taxpayers pay to clean up after this mess?), or they should bar them from the high school grounds and relocate their matches to the nearest pig sty.
Cheers: to the city for deciding to study the intersection at 10th and Church streets for the possible inclusion of a dedicated left turn signal. The intersection where 5-year-old Brayan Trejo was hit by a truck and killed Tuesday saw 23 accidents between 2000 and 2003, according to traffic study released last year. A dedicated left turn signal could have saved Trejo’s life. City Hall should act swiftly to prevent another tragedy.
Jeers: to the weekend holiday traffic that continues to snarl southbound U.S. 101 in Gilroy and Leavesley Road and 10th Street, which become parking lots as motorists head east on Highway 152. Until something is done, South County residents will be subjected to the onslaught of vehicles clogging local roads.
Jeers: to San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales. While we understand the mayor of the country’s 10th largest city is innocent until proven guilty, he clearly acted in bad faith when he secretly negotiated a garbage contract that cost taxpayers $11 million. Gonzales faces six felony counts in an indictment unsealed last week, including conspiracy, bribery, misappropriating public funds and falsifying public records.
