Our former Santa Clara County supervisor turned Congressman is
rushing to push for recognition
The following organizations and individuals deserve either CHEERS or JEERS this week:
JEERS: For Congressman Mike Honda who seems undable to grasp the potential ramifications of fast-tracking federal recognition for the Amah Mutsun tribe. One faction of the local tribe has a development agreement in place with La Jolla developer Wayne Pierce who has been trying to build on 3,000 acres of the Sargent Ranch for about a decade. In addition, the results of an investigation of document forgery claims by one faction of the tribe against another by the Department of the Interior have not been made public. Honda should let this sort itself out and bring the parties together with county officials before reviving any legislation that would fast track federal recognition.
CHEERS: For Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s health care proposal. It may not be perfect, but it’s crafted so that everyone shares the pain of payment and all are covered. Our health care system is broken. At the very least, the governor’s proposal raises the issue and gives urgency to the public debate which is necessary before a viable solution is found.
JEERS: For the news that two more top administrators will be leaving the Gilroy Unified School District soon after Superintendent Edwin Diaz departs. The only good news in this is that the new superintendent will have a unique opportunity to form a working team with a common mission.
CHEERS: For Gilroyan Elizabeth Farotte, who has pursued her childhood dream of becoming a dancer and now landed with a San Francisco dance company, the Oberlin Dance Collective. Her next show – Dance Downtown – will debut in early March for locals who would like to catch it.
JEERS: For the punks in Hollister who defaced a bus carrying the Gilroy High School girls basketball team with profanity and gang symbols. Hopefully, the Hollister Police Department will canvas the neighborhood and make an effort to catch the perpetrators. When juveniles are caught and punished for such crimes, word gets out and it becomes a deterrent. But if the police just throw up their hands and chalk it up to pranksters, the young criminals are emboldened.
CHEERS: For the school district’s plans to finance improvements to Brownell Middle School by cementing plans for office and retail space on the part of the campus which fronts First Street. Once plans are approved, the district will sell to a developer and use the money for facility upgrades. Makes perfect sense.
