I am a longtime resident of Gilroy and live on the corner of
Ronan and Wren avenues. I have lived here for more than 30 years
and I have seen many changes in this area
– good and bad. Now my oldest son and wife with two
grandchildren live with me.
Dear Editor,
I am a longtime resident of Gilroy and live on the corner of Ronan and Wren avenues. I have lived here for more than 30 years and I have seen many changes in this area – good and bad. Now my oldest son and wife with two grandchildren live with me.
When we had fields around us, with Ronan and Wren avenues being very narrow, there were many times we witnessed accidents and floods. Many times my ex-husband had to help people out of the high waters when it would flood. But the other day was the first time it hit home for my son and I.
Since they have built all the homes and widened Wren Avenue, it’s been a death trap for everyone who travels the road on a daily bases. My daughter-in-law was at the intersection of Ronan and Wren avenues making a left turn to our home which is on the corner, and it was raining. Well. the cars that travel that road act like it’s a racetrack going at least 40 mph.
While she was waiting for it to be clear to turn another car slammed into her and pushed her car about 60 feet into the oncoming lane. Her husband (my son) and I were sitting waiting for her to come home so we could have our dinner when we heard the biggest bang. We looked outside and I can’t begin to describe how we felt when we found out it was my daughter-in-law. Thank God she was not hurt badly.
About two years ago, a car lost control and ran into a tree we have on the side of our home which runs parallel to Wren Avenue. My grandchildren’s bedroom is not far from that tree. What if that tree hadn’t been there? I hate to even think about it.
My point is that twice my family has been impacted by the speeding and next time we might not be so lucky. There have been several near-death accidents on this road. With Antonio Del Buono School down the street, all the children who walk home everyday are in potential danger of getting hit by a speeding car.
I and other neighbors believe a four-way stop on the corner of Ronan and Wren avenues would help slow down the cars. What is it going to take for the city to realize something needs to be done. Please put my letter in your paper so other citizens can see how dangerous this road has become.
Joyce Palafox, Gilroy
Column and more budget baloney on the cost of public safety
Dear Editor,
As President of the Gilroy Police Officer’s Association I wish to respond to Mark Derry’s column in the Dec. 10 edition of the Gilroy Dispatch titled, “How much of the budget should we spend on public safety?”
The Gilroy Dispatch’s news poll, Community Pulse feature, and Mr. Derry’s opinion column are very misleading and I would like the opportunity to help explain it. We all can agree that public safety costs to the city are roughly 75 percent, so say more some say less. The confusion comes from 75 percent of what? Well, it’s not 75 percent of the city budget as reported by the Gilroy Dispatch.
The city budget is made up of seven different and separate funds. Public safety’s entire 75 percent cost comes out of the General Fund and the General Fund makes up 37 percent of the city’s entire budget. The price for public safety to the citizens of Gilroy, out of the city’s entire budget, is 28 percent.
Now, honestly, ask yourself, is 28 percent an out-of-control percentage for the entire, all inclusive, public safety cost or should it be 50 percent as reported by the Dispatch? By inclusive I mean it pays for employee’s salary and benefits, overtime costs, vehicle costs, building costs, training, equipment, bullets, paper clips, lab fees …it pays for everything.
Mr. Derry you wrote about binding arbitration costing the City of Gilroy too much money. I just showed you how public safety, as a whole, accounts for 28 percent of the city’s entire budget which also includes salary and benefits. An arbitrator can only make rulings on an employee’s salary and benefits and, when they do, that does not mean the 75 percent budget for public safety in the General Fund will increase. The chiefs must still work within that 75 percent budget.
GPOA has never used OR threatened to use binding arbitration. GPOA has always believed they and the city could sit down and negotiate fairly. The city, on the other hand, threatened to use binding arbitration three times during these last negotiations, even when the GPOA was discussing cuts.
GPOA’s very first offer to the city spoke of continued pay cuts. The GPOA has not asked for a raise since we negotiated with the city back in 2006. I do not know how the police and fire department’s budgets are divided to make up the 75 percent. So we will run the numbers combining both departments under the title of public safety to find the percentage of cost to the city.
Let’s of course start with 100 percent of the city budget and a breakdown of all the funds: 37 percent General Fund; 19 percent capital projects;18 percent enterprise; 13 percent special revenue; 8 percent internal services; 4 percent debt services; and 1 percent trust/agency.
As you can see, 37 percent of the city budget is the General Fund. Within the General Fund 75 percent is set aside for public safety and, as I mentioned above, this amount pays for all costs related to public safety. The total cost to the city budget is 28 percent. Is this 28 percent really and truly breaking the bank?
For every dollar that comes into the city’s pocket, 28 cents goes to paying for public safety. The big question here is: if public safety is such a huge drain on the city when it only costs 28 cents on the dollar (which includes salary and benefits) where does the other 72 cents go?
The citizens of Gilroy are being faked out with confusing politics and number games. Just like the boxer who twirls his left hand to get you to look at it then punches you with the right. It’s called a distraction, Mr. Derry, and you fell for it. Those are the facts that I have deduced from the current budget figures that can be found on the city website.
The very first page of the 27-page document is a pie chart showing the percentages that each fund is allotted to make up the city’s complete budget. The breakdown of where all the money goes is on the remaining 26 pages.The only thing GPOA is asking is that all the facts be given to the citizens of Gilroy in a clear understandable way so the citizens can make up their own minds. If after all the facts are given and the people believe that 28 percent is too much to pay for public safety, well then, what else can we say?
Mitch Madruga, president, Gilroy Police Officers Association
The Golden Quill is awarded occasionally for a well-written letter.
Parks and Recreation Commission seats and more waiting to be filled
Dear Editor,
I would like to extend an invitation to all residents of the City of Gilroy to apply for a seat on one of our committees or commissions. The City of Gilroy currently has openings on our Parks and Recreation Commission and Housing Advisory Board.
The Parks and Recreation Commission is a seven-member body responsible for advising city staff and the City Council on matters pertaining to public parks, urban forestry and recreation in the advancement of park and recreation planning and programming of the city. Regular meetings are held once a month, on the third Tuesday at 6 p.m. at City Hall.
The Housing Advisory Committee (HAC) is a seven-member committee that provides oversight on the city’s housing policies. The HAC meets once a month, the second Wednesday of every month at 6 p.m. at City Hall
Applicants must be 18 years of age or older and registered voters of the city. Applications can be found on the city website at www.cityofgilroy.org, and at City Hall, and must be submitted by Tuesday, Jan. 4 for interviews with the City Council on Monday, Jan. 10 at 6 p.m.
I encourage you to get involved in your community by participating on one of our commissions or committees. By joining one of these groups, you will help to form the future of our community.
Mayor Al Pinheiro, Gilroy
