I’ve been following the City Hall and police debacle with (city
manager) Mr. Baksa, and I can’t believe Mr. Baksa still has his
job.
The kingdom of gilroy
I’ve been following the City Hall and police debacle with (city manager) Mr. Baksa, and I can’t believe Mr. Baksa still has his job. It seems like he’s running the town and not the elected officials on the city council. From the mayor down they need to get their heads out of the sand and get behind Mr. Gartman and straighten out Mr. Baksa.
Red Phone: Dear Caller, there really isn’t any more to add to your succinct summary. It’s our hope that this blowup will give both the council and the city administrator’s office a renewed perspective of governing in clear view of the public.
Bulldoze a bad idea
I read the article about Bonfante Gardens (Gilroy Gardens) and the city wanting to fork out $13 million to bail out that money-losing theme park, if you would call it that. The area should be let go and turned into a green belt and used as a city park for all of us to enjoy without paying that exorbitant price. Then we can use that $13 million for sidewalks and the community center. It’s a case of the good ol’ boys keeping things for themselves.
Red Phone: Dear Caller, first of all, the $12.4 million is only being discussed. There has been no commitment by the city. The city council and a majority of our readers – at least the ones who responded to our online poll – think it’s a bad deal. Whether the land is bought as an amusement park or an open-space park, the city would still have to pay some amount to the investors.
Dealing With Feral Cats
I’m calling about the problem of barking dogs. We live in the southwest quadrant of Gilroy, and there are a lot of cats. When I walk my dog late in the evening, my dog will bark at all the cats, which will set off all the other dogs in the neighborhood, and when I come back the same thing is repeated. There must be a law about letting cats run loose through neighborhoods. If the police would do something about that, we’d have a lot less barking. I’m not going to stop walking my dog because people are irresponsible with their cats.
Red Phone: Dear Caller, ultimately you hit the nail on the head: People act irresponsibly. The populations of unwanted and feral cats – and it is a problem – could be irradiated if people would simply spay or neuter their pets, before the feral population mushrooms. Feral cats not only prompt Rover to get in touch with his vocal inner wolf, they prey on many species of native birds in our area. As for the police chasing cats, Red Phone would prefer they stick to catching cat burglars. Gilroy does have an animal control unit, but when Red Phone called, we learned it focuses solely on stray dogs and does not have a feral cat program.
One way to deal with the feral cats in your neighborhood is to trap them, but you run the risk of raising the ire of cat lovers in the community. Also, once you trap them, you will need to find a place to get rid of them (besides in someone else’s neighborhood) as the animal shelter does not accept animals from a Gilroy address – you must provide an address outside the city. If having the cats killed at the pound is not your cup of tea, there are organizations such as Town Cats in Morgan Hill that may take them. However, here’s a note from Town Cats’ Web site: “The cities of Morgan Hill and Gilroy have been asked to contribute to the county spay/neuter program based on usage since the county’s budget is at a deficit.”
The site urges residents to contact their elected officials to have the city contribute to the program.
Feral cat traps are available from most feed stores in the area.
