Once again, reports are coming in from nervous people about mountain lions (a.k.a. cougars, pumas and panthers) seen near their homes. Sightings of these large animals (6 to 9 feet long and weighing up to 275 pounds) are on the upswing during the dry season because the lions may need to leave remote habitats in search of prey and water. But with limited hunting grounds, the lions may follow prey—usually old or sick deer—into the suburbs.
It’s very important to keep your pets safely indoors at night. Put your outdoor animals in a barn or other secure enclosure at dusk, dawn and night when the lions and other nocturnal predators such as coyotes, raccoons, feral dogs and bobcats—which some people have mistaken for the much larger mountain lions—are most active. The lions are solitary animals and will avoid humans (who they do NOT see as food) as much as possible, but be safe and if you hike, jog or bike, don’t go alone. Take a partner or stay in a group.
For more information on staying safe in mountain lion country, go to California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife website, dfg.ca.gov/keepmewild.
Sue Howell, executive director of WERC
Borrow money from Measure F supporters
The people have spoken and the elections are over! Measure F has failed as well. It should have.
Did you see the mail ads, shameful or what? Every wealthy person in town was in the ad—realtors, car companies and of course the mayor and Woodward. So their plan was to raise Gilroy’s taxes to borrow $40 or $50 million for infrastructure projects. I believe the mayor and the council were acting irresponsibly with the town’s fiscal stability.
Why not borrow all these millions from the mayor’s cronies? There was enough money spent on the ads and the campaign, as it was another consulting firm brought in to waste taxpayer money—again! Remember the police department!
Oh and by the way, what about all the money the business community would have lost, not gained. Higher taxes mean people go elsewhere. Remember what they told us? It would bring business to town. It would create a better downtown atmosphere for stores to come in when anybody really knows it would have done the complete opposite. Sorry guys!
I really don’t know why the rich and wealthy went for this, must be greed again!
How about this mayor give us rent control in Gilroy and maybe next time we will give you millions of dollars.
One thing this has really showed me once and for all is that the mayor is out of touch for sure and his administration was to keep having other people show them how to run this town. If that’s the case, we do need new leadership and now. No more big government overreach. P.S. They blew it.
Daniel Garcia, Gilroy
