Graduate award winners lead the weekly parade
The following organizations and individuals deserve either CHEERS or JEERS this week:
CHEERS: For the Gilroy High School senior award winners who picked up 125 awards worth $423,585 Wednesday night. Outstanding effort by the students and an outstanding show of support from the community which keeps increasing the number of scholarships available to our best and brightest.
JEERS: For the Santa Clara Valley Water District which year after year either raises or proposes to raise water rates. Longtime critic Terry Mahurin, a San Martin resident and gadfly of sorts, is right when he points out the burdensome weight the water district carries around in both the number of and the benefits for employees. Our South County water board representatives, Sig Sanchez and Rosemary Kamei, might as well be SCVWD staff members.
CHEERS: For retired Santa Clara County road worker Joe Blundo who has set the record straight about Noname Uno. Alas, the name does not commemorate an ancient Indian chief. Putting to rest the urban legends that abound, Mr. Blundo said he named the frontage road for billing record purposes after the county and the city didn’t name the street for more than two years. Noname Uno is the result of stalled bureaucracy.
CHEERS: For Santa Clara County which has effectively cleaned up the mess that enveloped land parcels improperly receiving state property tax breaks under the Williamson Act. It took three years of effort to straighten out a big mess, but the county booted 500 properties that were out of compliance because the land wasn’t being used for agricultural operations required for the tax break. Now, the state will be able to give the county a clean bill of health on the compliance issue and the property owners will be bearing their far share of the tax burden.
JEERS: For the news that budget cuts may claim the deputy district attorney position devoted to school truancy. Gilroy Unified School District officials say Lois Baer’s presence makes a big difference. When the legal hammer steps in from the DA’s office, parents and children take school attendance seriously. And, of course, that means money to the district and, presumably, less trouble for the community. Let’s hope a compromise, whereby school districts pick up part of the cost of that position, can be worked out.
