Community

Rosalinda Gerardo loaded up her SUV in her San Martin driveway on Oct. 25 and went inside her house to get her twin 9-year-old girls and her 5-year-old daughter to bring them to school.When she came back outside, the black Chevy Suburban was gone.“I just stood there looking and went, ‘Oh my gosh, what is going on?’” she said. “I thought maybe my husband took it to get gas, but when I called him, he didn’t have it. He walked to work. If it wasn’t happening to me, I wouldn’t have believed it.”Her vehicle was stolen, but it gets worse. The car was specially fitted for her daughter, Jocelyn, who has a rare, painful and debilitating condition in which her flesh calcifies to bone and she can’t function without a wheelchair, glasses, hearing aids and a computer that lets her communicate.It was all in the Suburban.“It was horrible,” she said. I’m just thankful my kids weren’t in the car.”Gerardo reported it to police and took to social media hoping someone could help. Four days later, Gilroy Police came through.An officer spotted the car on Leavesley Road and took off after it. It turned onto Luchessa Avenue where two people jumped out. The driver fled onto Highway 101 and drove off the road, through a fence on ranchland. Officers followed and the Suburban rammed a police car, injuring the officer when the airbag deployed.Police finally surrounded and arrested the suspect, a woman named Valeria Olmos, 22. They also grabbed the two who had jumped out, Izaak Diaz, 23, and an underage girl.They were charged with stealing the car, assault, resisting arrest and violation of probation.What followed was some good news and some bad. The car was totaled, but insurance would cover it.Corporal Lamont Toney found the purple and black wheelchair being towed behind a bicycle by a homeless man. The man told him he got the chair in a dumpster at a homeless camp by Alexander and Eighth streets. But, said Gerardo, it was so badly damaged it couldn’t be used. Searching Olmos’s home, police said they found the $5,000 communication device, but not Jocelyn’s glasses or her specially made $7,000 hearing aids, which were in her backpack.The wheelchair will take months to replace. They have improvised one that allows her to go to school at Blackford in San Jose, but Jocelyn is is in so much pain, she needs her wheelchair’s special padding and design to be able to function.“My daughter can’t sit up or speak,” said Gerardo, who works in San Jose as a mental health caseworker. Her husband is a concrete contractor. “She’s a really fragile child. Imagine you are stuck in a chair and you can’t get up and move around. It’s heartbreaking.”The computer Jocelyn uses with her feet to communicate was OK, but they broke the mount and arm so she can’t use it.“I can’t believe these people had no compassion. You would think they would have a little bit of humanity and see that the car had a wheelchair and toss it out without destroying it.”However, she found some humanity from the Gilroy Police Officers Association, which contributed $1,000 to help offset expenses. She thanked them Sunday, letting them meet her family at police headquarters.“This is why we do our job,” said Gilroy Sgt. Robert Locke-Padden. “To help people like this. We have to see so much and do so much. Sometimes we’re dealing with negative situations where people are getting arrested. It’s really heartwarming where we can do something and see something positive, get something back that was taken from them. It helps to fill your soul. That stuff is really important for police officers.”Gerardo said the officers really made a difference.“They went above and beyond and really worked their butts off. I think more people should give them credit.”  

A popular youth basketball program akin to Little League has been evicted from a Gilroy middle school after a dozen years and will be replaced by Mexican mariachi and folkloric programs and workshops for Spanish-speaking parents.School officials say South Valley Middle School’s programs must get priority and that the nonprofit National Junior Basketball Gilroy-Morgan Hill chapter was alerted to the change but collected fees from parents anyway.Chapter co-founder Shirley Lampkin disputed that they were alerted and said the group’s years of good relations with SVMS went sour only when a new principal refused to continue to rent to them so she could use the gym for the programs she wants for the Latino community.Lampkin said the principal, Patricia Mondragon, “is trying to make a name for herself by saying [she is] going to create all these programs for [her] community, for [her] people.”SVMS is 87 percent Latino and located on Gilroy’s predominantly Latino east side.Lampkin said an equal percentage of the chapter’s nearly 350 players is Latino and comes from “the whole community,” not just the east side. Her husband, Joe, also a chapter co-founder, serves on its volunteer board.While NJB continues to rent gym time at other schools, churches and community centers, the loss of its largest venue at SVMS, with four basketball courts, will mean a hike in fees to parents who already pay about $300 per season.The league has 25,000 players in six states with programs for first-graders through high school and helps families financially.Lampkin said most of its players are from Gilroy and that costs to parents will go up because the school gyms rent for $17 per hour plus custodial fees, while city facilities cost twice that and more.Facility rental now costs the league $1,000 a week, she said, to accommodate all practices and games.Lampkin and KC Adams, NJB Gilroy-Morgan Hill chapter co-founder and president, said they were told another reason for being ousted was friction between the custodial staff and NJB parents.Gilroy Unified School District assistant superintendent Alvaro Meza confirmed there had been such an issue but declined to go into details.Adams said it was about kids milling around waiting to be picked up by parents after hour-long practices, and a parent knocking on a door to find a custodian.Similar issues at Brownell Middle School led to the district forbidding kids from using outdoor courts while waiting for parents, and the district installed video cameras to monitor the players.The league instructed kids and parents not to use outdoor courts and the situation has turned out well, Adams said.He credited Brownell leadership with being more open to working with the league to resolve issues.As for Mondragon, Adams questioned her agenda after she initially rented to the group as its 13th season began, then refused to allow more use. He said the gym has gone unused for weeks and suspects she has not started new programs, at least not yet.Meza said GUSD officials met with the NJB reps, but SVMS programs get first priority.“They have been growing, so they require more basketball courts this year,” he said of the league.“They made one [rental] request that was granted and that was it. They had already collected fees for the entire season without securing the facilities; we are trying to help them [find alternative sites],” he added.Lampkin said the league was never informed in writing of a change to an arrangement they enjoyed for a dozen years and that has benefited so many Gilroy kids who for one reason or another are not allowed to play for school teams.Mondragon said, “We haven’t kicked anybody out.”The NJB, she said, “requested to rent the facilities but unfortunately the facilities are not available. There are different reasons but one of the major reasons is we have our own activities that take precedence.”She said she has added “new initiatives” designed to increase community involvement at the school and they include mariachi teams, a folkloric club and workshops for Spanish-speaking parents.While she said, “I make the decision to bring in more clubs and more parent involvement,” she also said the decision was made “at the district level.”Cheryl Galloway, who schedules the use of all district facilities, said NJB has grown tremendously in recent years and that the district can no longer meet all its demands for practice and game courts. 

St. Joseph’s Family Center’s Vicky Martin is hunting for turkeys. The organization feeds 1,000 people for Thanksgiving, but right now has only 90 turkeys. Martin says that when people don’t hear that the organization is behind and in dire straits, they assume the coffers are full. They aren’t. They need another 900 donations by Tuesday. You can drop turkeys off at St. Joseph’s at 7950 Church St #A.  

 

More than 50 students, parents and members of the community marched nearly two miles through Gilroy to City Hall Thursday at noon to celebrate unity and diversity, things they said were absent in the campaign rhetoric of President-elect Donald J. Trump.The march, organized by the Student Democratic Club at Gavilan College and including local middle and high school students, started at the old CVS store on First Street and continued along Hanna to City Hall, where the peaceful gathering concluded with speakers and a sharing circle on the complex lawn. As they marched they chanted “Unity through diversity,” “The people united will never be divided” “Hey Ho Racism has got to go.” Noshava Afzao, a Gilroy educational consultant who trains teachers, and wore a hijab said she was there with a flag to accent that liberty and justice “was for everyone.” She worried about how the election would affect that. “There’s a lot of disappointment,” she said.  “The election is a wake up call. I thought we lived in a country that had made progress and this just shows how much progress we need to make.”As word spread that students at Gavilan College were planning a citywide walkout, school administrators scrambled to inform high school parents.“Gilroy is a lovely little bubble of people who are not always proactive. We want to acknowledge voices and create a coalition,” said Sarah Najar, Vice President of the Gavilan Democratic Club.An email to Christopher High School parents from Principal Paul Winslow said: “FYI High School Parents: Someone is encouraging students to cut school” and “while we definitely support free speech, the right to assemble peacefully, and the right to express opinion” students who missed school to participate would be penalized and not be able to make up work.Lisa Ruiz, a parent of Gilroy students with special needs, said she received a call from the GUSD the night before alerting her that any absence would be considered unexcused, but felt she needed to come anyways.“I got to be here in solidarity with the minorities in the community and to see what we can do to help to unify everyone not be divided and hopefully we can get together in love.”As people gathered in the parking lot, members of the Gilroy Police Department kept an eye on proceedings. Sgt. Wes Stanford had a team of motorcycle officers  charged with making sure the demonstrators were safe walking the mile and a half between First Street and City Hall. The department was notified of the march, but organizers didn’t know they would need a permit. “We want to make sure that it’s peaceful, that they are allowed to voice their opinion and whatever views they have and they get to City Hall in a safe fashion.” Stanford said the city has had sporadic marches over the years with the last one he remembers an Occupy Gilroy march of eight people.The well-behaved crowd began their march up First Street - along the sidewalks and stopping at all intersections, using the crosswalks - the sound of honking cars mingling with chants calling for unity.Iris Cueto, 23, a Gavilan biology major, said “The election is making me feel sad, but it’s also making me feel happy to have youth standing up for their rights. It’s nice to see them out here protesting in a peaceful way.” Holding up a coat hanger poster that read, “Never Again,” Summer Diaz, 18, said: “I believe everyone should have their rights. I believe that women should make their own choice and politicians should stay out of women’s rights. “ When the marchers got to City Hall they were offered bottled water by the student organizers who then thanked the crowd for obeying all the traffic laws and the police for “keeping us safe.” Addressing the group, Dr. Enrique Luna, who teaches history at Gavilan, said “we don’t want to be here, but there is a need.” Thanking the march organizers for putting on the event, he said at times he was both laughing and shedding a few tears during the march to city hall. It’s hard to build a community, it’s easy to destroy a community. And we are here to do the hard work.”    

A San Jose man who was driving on a private road in Aromas and reportedly talking on a cell phone, was struck and killed Thursday afternoon by a train at an unmarked crossing, according to the California Highway Patrol.

More than a hundred Gilroyans gathered outside the Veterans Memorial Building on Sixth Street Friday to honor the men and women who have served in our nation’s armed forces during a heartfelt Veterans Day ceremony. There was the Presentation of the Colors, by the Color Guard of Post 6309 and American Legion Post 217, a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem by Ted Sanchez and patriotic music performed by the Christopher High and Gilroy High School marching bands, who played together for the first time in five years. Mayor elect Roland Velasco, who served four years in the US Army, was the guest speaker. John Ceballos, past District 12 Commander and past VFW Post 6309 Commander, served as Master of Ceremonies for the hour-long service, which saw Robert “Bobby” Armendariz, Commander of Gilroy American Legion Post 217 named Veteran of the Year, one of eight veterans recognized by Assemblymember for District 30, Luis Alejo. “Bobby is deeply committed to the veteran community, is involved in various organizations, most notably Gilroy American Legion Post 217, where he serves as commander,” said Daniel Dodge from Alejo’s office. “Under his guidance, the post has distinguished itself as a community leader, which regularly gives scholarships and advocates for veterans affairs.” Armendariz began his military and advanced infantry training at Fort Lewis, Wa., gaining knowledge in the armored division as a tank driver and infantry light weapons specialist. He was then deployed to Germany as part of a Ranger Unit with the 16th Infantry, Alpha Company, First Battalion where he supported his unit as a tank driver.After his honorable discharge, Armendariz returned to his native Gilroy and married his wife Lucy. He worked for 30 years at Crown-Zellerbach, a paper products corporation, until his retirement. “The people of California solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly on the seas, in the air, on foreign shores to preserve our heritage of freedom,” recited Dodge before welcoming Armendariz to the podium. “It is appropriate to applaud Bobby Amendariz for the courageous manner through which he’s served and sacrificed to safeguard our democratic principles for this generation and generations to come.” Ushered through the crowd in a round of applause, at the podium, Armendariz thanked the gathered group of servicemen and their families, the American Legion and Gilroy community. “Thank you for this great honor,” said Armendariz, during a brief speech that called for veteran unity. “ We [The American Legion] does as much as we can for the community and for all veterans - no matter who they are. Whether they served in the US or overseas, or were combat veterans.We have to remember that we are all veterans, no matter what, where or who we served with. We need to appreciate ourselves, and devote our time to the community, especially to the young people of this city of Gilroy, so they grow up to be strong and hopefully become veterans that will carry on this work. Thank you very much.” 

Two women who were part of a peaceful prayer vigil say they were harassed, intimidated and lied to, and a California Highway Patrol officer trampled their First Amendment rights, because they inadvertently stood on state property to pray the rosary in the shade.

On Halloween night, four state parole officers went trick or treating around Gilroy, but it wasn’t candy they wanted. Just the opposite.

PG&E officials were confronted with a big, angry crowd Tuesday night during a public meeting to discuss plans for a substation that could be built in the bucolic Gilroy countryside.Nearly 200 residents from the winding Redwood Retreat Road area, a county-designated scenic lane and tourist-oriented wine trail at the base of the Santa Cruz Mountains west of the city, aimed barbed and blunt questions at approximately six sometimes uneasy company spokespersons, engineers and subject experts.The energy giant plans to build a new substation in South County to ensure reliable service and avoid massive blackouts as the area grows. It has picked eight potential sites, most in and around Morgan Hill.But it’s the lone Gilroy option, a 10-acre parcel on Redwood Retreat Road, home of endangered and protected species of wildlife, fragile riparian grassland and mountain habitats that has residents and others, including Native Americans, fighting mad and fighting back.“This is the most sensitive area in the watershed, what are you thinking?” demanded an incredulous Herman Garcia to thunderous applause from the overflow crowd just after 7 p.m. in a reception room at Fortino Winery on Hecker Pass Highway.Garcia is the founding president of the Gilroy-based conservation group Coastal Habitat Education and Environmental Restoration, CHEER. It works closely with local, state and federal agencies to protect the Pajaro River watershed and Monterey Bay.“You don’t know what you are stepping into,” he said after listing endangered and threatened species in the area, from bald eagles and tiger salamanders to the federally protected steelhead.And then, citing a past case of a local, wealthy resident killing a dozen steelhead and ending up broke and in federal prison, he had this to say to PG&E:“You can’t beat me. I will destroy you if you ever consider putting a shovel in the ground; you mess with our protected resources you are going to [have to] fight the U.S. Attorney General’s office.”After the applause for Garcia settled down, Nicole Markowitz of PG&E asked to meet with him privately.Markowitz and colleague Don Hall fielded most of the questions about the utility’s South County Power Connect project, but residents took to shouting out questions and speaking over one another, so some went unanswered.Toward the end of the meeting, a man asked why the substation couldn’t be built in the urban boundaries of Gilroy.The answer seemed to be that a city location would be more expensive and that the utility needs to locate the substation in a place that is close to existing power lines and environmentally acceptable.Kevin Corcoran expressed concerns about water contamination from the substation, saying a well near the site supplies residents’ water.“If that well goes [out], 80 homes are screwed,” he said.Hall and others stressed that after PG&E early next year narrows its choice to one preferred site and two alternatives, the California Public Utilities Commission will make the final decision and it might not pick the site PG&E wants. They urged residents to make their views known to the PUC.One resident asked how many times the PUC had turned down a PG&E proposal.To the surprise of many, Markowitz said that it has been a long time since PG&E had tackled anything this big.Echoing Garcia, Phill Laursen of Gilroy urged PG&E to consult with Native Americans, saying, “This is their spiritual land.”Santa Clara County Supervisor Mike Wasserman helped arrange the meeting, one of several to be held, and repeated PG&E’s sentiments about residents contacting the PUC. He said his office is following the matter closely.More information about South County Power Connect can be found at: http://bit.ly/2bvqisi.