-Three hurt in seven-car crash
-VTA meetings to be held
-Nutritionist to speak at Gav
-Christmas Concert Coming
-Area Toys for Tots drive
-Salinas honored for legislation
Three hurt in seven-car crash
Gilroy – A seven car pile up on Highway 152 left three people with minor injuries.
Asit Gupta, 31, of Canoga Park, was traveling westbound about 7pm Saturday when he hit a guardrail around a blind curve about three miles west of Pacheco Pass summit, and ended up blocking the lane with his Chevy Aveo. The six other cars swerved to avoid the vehicle but couldn’t. Three cars piled on top of each other and caught fire. All of the occupants were able to get out.
Aimee Serna, 30, of San Jose, Joel Serna, 44, of San Jose and a 17-year-old male from Los Banos suffered minor injuries in the crashes.
Joel Serna was transported by helicopter to Modesto Memorial Hospital with a broken right foot. Aimee Serna was taken to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center with fractured ribs. The teen sustained a cut to the right hand.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention extinguished the fires.
Six of the vehicles had to be towed from the scene. The crash is under investigation by California Highway Patrol officials. Alcohol is not a factor.
VTA meetings to be held
Gilroy – The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority will hold a series of public meetings in December to take feedback on proposed changes to its bus mobility device policy. The new proposal would make it mandatory for all mobility devices to be secured onboard VTA buses. The South County meeting will be held today, at 2pm, at Gilroy City Hall, Council Chambers, 7351 Rosanna St.
Nutritionist to speak at Gav
Gilroy – William E. Wheeler, White House staff nutritionist to Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, will speak on Wednesday, Dec. 7, at 3:30pm in the Art Lecture 101 at Gavilan College, 5055 Santa Teresa Blvd.
Wheeler served as staff nutritionist to the 1996 U.S. Olympic Decathlon and 2002 US Olympic Snowboarding teams.
His current and past clients include the Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos, Denver Nuggets, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears, Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Dodgers, Washington Wizards, Tampa Bay Lightning, Utah Jazz, & the US Air Force Academy Football Team.
Details: Ron Hannon at 848-4895.
Christmas Concert coming
Gilroy – The Gavilan College Choir, along with the South Valley String Quartet will present their Christmas Concert at 7:30pm, Sunday, Dec. 11, at Advent Lutheran Church, 16870 Murphy Ave., Morgan Hill. Admission is free. The evening will begin with the South Valley String Quartet and choir performing the Schubert Mass in G. The performance of the Mass will be repeated Saturday Dec. 17, with the South Valley Symphony in the Gavilan College Theater at 4pm.
Area Toys for Tots drive
Gilroy – Now in its 58th year, Toys for Tots has helped pick up the slack when Chris Cringle isn’t able to reach every child’s home. This year, Indian-Victory Motorcycle of Gilroy is enlisting in the cause and serving as an official drop-off site for Toys for Tots donations.
Victory dealers nationwide will collect toys, and Victory’s parent company, Polaris Industries announced it will contribute $230,000 in donations. Gilroy residents can add an extra toy to their holiday shopping list and drop it by Indian-Victory Motorcycle between Nov. 25 and Christmas.
Toys for Tots, the U.S. Marine Corps’ premier community action program and one of the nation’s flagship Christmas charitable causes, is dedicated to “delivering a message of hope and bringing the joy of Christmas” to America’s needy children.
Salinas honored for legislation
San Diego – Assemblymember Simón Salinas (D-Salinas) received the 2005 Legislative Leadership Award from the Association of California Water Agencies for his contributions in the field of water development.
Salinas was recognized for his efforts to reform through AB 1234, which provides guidelines for ethics training and clarification of the definition of a meeting for purposes of compensation or reimbursement for public officials.
AB 1234 provides transparency for local actions, but allows local agencies to develop those definitions.
“Assesmblyman Salinas has really hit the ball out of the park with his work on AB 1234,” said ACWA Executive Director Steve Hall.
Send news items to City Editor Robert Airoldi. FAX to 842-2206, mail to Gilroy Dispatch, 6400 Monterey Road, Gilroy, CA 95020, or e-mail ed****@****ic.com.
