Gilroy police chief announces retirement
After a 30-year career in law enforcement, including 22 years with the Gilroy Police Department, Chief Pedro Espinoza has announced his retirement.
Espinoza’s retirement is effective as of May 23. The city will conduct a nationwide search for the next Gilroy police chief, likely to...
Local officials address immigration enforcement concerns
Amid fears and recent reports of federal immigration authorities targeting undocumented immigrants in local communities, law enforcement leaders and public officials throughout the South Valley have attempted to reassure their communities that residents are safe from local action.
Santa Clara County Sheriff Bob Jonsen and...
Man arrested after allegedly hitting Gilroy officers with car
Gilroy Police arrested two young men after one of them injured three officers with a vehicle and led authorities on a high-speed chase last week, according to the police department.
On Jan. 12, a patrol officer saw a man who appeared to be slumped over...
California will stiffen theft penalties in 2025
Californians accused of certain drug and retail theft crimes may already be facing stiffer penalties under an initiative voters passed this year, alongside related bills Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law.
Voters this November overwhelmingly approved Proposition 36, which both modifies and adds key changes...
New state law keeps medical debt off credit report
‘Everyday people across the country skip medical care because of cost. Those who do seek medical help may end up with a balance they can’t pay off. That debt can hurt people’s credit scores, resulting in long-term financial burdens.
Starting Jan. 1, a new state...
Dozens of new state laws take effect for the new year
California lawmakers in 2024 introduced 4,821 bills, but most of them were tossed or otherwise rejected during the months-long legislative process during which most never saw the light of day.
Just 1,206 made it to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk, with 1,017 getting signed into law...
Multi-agency bust leads to illegal guns, drugs in South County
Over the past several months, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office Fentanyl Crisis Response Team (FCRT) ran an in-depth investigation into the narcotics trafficking activities of Juan Basurto Jimenez, a 54-year-old resident of Santa Clara County. The investigation uncovered extensive operations spanning Santa Cruz...
Hollister sex offender found guilty in 1994 cold case kidnapping
A jury convicted a sex offender for a mall robbery he committed more than three decades ago, according to authorities.
The jury deliberated more than two days before convicting Thomas Loguidice, 67, after a week of testimony before Superior Court Judge Hanley Chew, says a...
County health takes steps to end illegal disposal
Santa Clara County supervisors —and the public—on Dec. 12 got their first public explanation from county officials on the explosive revelations a week earlier that county-run hospitals had for at least a year illegally dumped medical waste, drugs and patient data into dumpsters.
Healthcare officials...
Santa Clara County hospitals investigated for illegal medical, hazardous waste disposal
Three hospitals in the Santa Clara County healthcare system have been repeatedly illegally dumping medical and hazardous waste—as well as confidential patient records—over the past year or more, according to authorities.
Violations observed at the county-owned hospitals—including Saint Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy—include the improper...