Mayor Greg Bozzo was recently quoted in a national publication: “We have an opportunity to change the way that we do business in Gilroy. We’re adapting to the times.”
But are we?
Councilmember Carol Marques asked for a drive-through ordinance about four years ago. Staff still has not deemed the topic fit to be brought back before the City Council. Yet while Council waits for the ordinance it requested, we managed to approve a drive-through.
And drive-throughs are hardly the only example.
Gilroy doesn’t have a surveillance technology ordinance. We don’t maintain current baseline noise measurements or adequately address modern sources of constant, mechanical and tonal noise.
We lack clear standards for emerging technologies and don’t consistently monitor completed projects to verify continued compliance or significant water, noise and electrical demands over time.
In 2009, the City Council accepted a federal grant to fund a Climate Action Plan. A plan was produced in 2012 but was never completed. More than a decade later, we’re beginning again.
And when Gilroy adopted its 2040 General Plan, it committed to developing a greenhouse-gas reduction plan within three years. That deadline has also passed.
That’s what modern planning looks like: establish the baseline, set the standard, measure the impact and verify the result.
These aren’t futuristic issues. Drive-throughs were invented in the 1940s. Do we need to wait 80 years to adapt to everything else? We are not prepared to be a modern city.
But something else in that national article bothered me. Mayor Bozzo said, “It didn’t bother them that a food-distribution center came to Gilroy without their engagement, but now it bothers them when another project came without the possibility of engagement.”
Them? We are your neighbors. We are your community. We are residents of the city you were elected to represent.
People are here now. They’re showing up, asking questions and trying to engage with their local government. And they continue to feel dismissed.
People have lost confidence in the City. Trust isn’t rebuilt by defending the past or comparing one project to another. It’s rebuilt by listening, being transparent and giving residents a meaningful voice.
And the more I learn about how our government works, the more difficult some of it is to understand.
Consider the FAIR Memo process. An elected Councilmember must first consult with the City Administrator, prepare a memo, have it reviewed for compliance and then wait 30-45 days for it to appear on an agenda.
Even then, Council is only deciding whether the issue should return for discussion and potential action—at least two meetings later.
Meanwhile, permits get issued, projects get approved and decisions get made. So I find myself asking: Who’s running this city?
Staff expertise is essential. But Gilroy elected seven Councilmembers to set policy and determine the direction of this city.
Elected officials face months of procedural delay to deliberate an issue while requested policies can languish for years. This process is working against the people we elected to lead.
The FAIR Memo policy needs to change. And change now.
Being a modern city isn’t simply about what we approve. We become a modern city when our policies, processes and government are prepared to govern what comes next. Right now, Gilroy isn’t.
Stefanie Elle
Gilroy
💯
Our local government is acting like the federal government, by ignoring constitutes concerns and pushing all these plans and policies that benefit corporations, not all Americans
If you want to live in a theme park city, there is one nearby.
I agree with the concerns raised here. Gilroy cannot call itself a modern city while relying on outdated policies, slow procedures, and a government structure that too often leaves residents feeling unheard.
But ultimately, this is a leadership issue. Mayor Bozzo was elected to lead this city, not simply to explain why things have been done the way they have. If our processes are broken, leadership should be at the forefront of fixing them. If residents have lost trust, the mayor should be leading the effort to rebuild it. And if City Hall is not keeping pace with the community, the mayor should be pushing the organization forward, not defending the status quo.
The question isn’t whether Mayor Bozzo is responsible for every problem described here. He isn’t. But as mayor, he is responsible for providing leadership and setting a direction. That means listening to residents, demanding accountability, pushing overdue policies forward, and making sure the elected Council, not bureaucracy. is ultimately driving the city’s priorities.
So I would ask Mayor Bozzo a simple question: Are you prepared to lead this change from the front?
If the answer is yes, then step forward and show us. Fix the process. Bring people into the conversation. Demand that long-overdue policies come before the council. Restore transparency and accountability.
But if the mayor is unwilling or unable to provide that leadership, then the responsible thing to do is resign and allow someone else to lead.
Gilroy deserves a mayor who doesn’t just talk about adapting to the times, but actually leads the city into them. Also, calling us “them” deserves an apology. Maybe “them” should pickett in front of your house or the council member’s homes. Food for thought.
Mike and Peno definitely voted for Bozzo instead of Blankley
Bozzo replicates the federal governments actions and behavior
And like always, they’ll still vote for the Republicans and Conservatives, despite their constant complaining on here
The conservative keyboard warriors are back again, Mike and Peno
And once again Peno is complaining about what he voted for