Human rights commission opposes Sargent Mine
The Santa Clara County Human Rights Commission last week voted to help the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band protect its sacred ancestral lands—known as Juristac—from being developed into a sand and gravel quarry.
The 15-seat commission at the Nov. 4 meeting unanimously voted to send the...
South Valley unites for farmworkers
On a recent December afternoon, about 30 volunteers gathered at St. Francis Retreat Center in San Juan Bautista to give their efforts to the sprawling, multifaceted Farmworker Caravan—an annual holiday donation drive for families in need in five counties.
Labeled a “Santa’s Workshop,” the Dec....
Religion: God and the stranger
On Oct. 7, 1885 a 16-year-old German barber named Friedrich boarded a ship for New York. Fleeing the military service then required in Germany, he became one of over a million German immigrants who flooded these shores between 1880 and 1885.
Once he had accumulated...
Citing need for local control, county declines to take part in state vaccine plan
Santa Clara County officials said the county will not join the state's new centralized vaccine distribution plan that will be run by Oakland-based health insurance giant Blue Shield.
During the county board of supervisors meeting, County Executive Jeff Smith said the state's new program, known...
Santa Clara County asks state, feds to investigate sheriff
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors Aug. 17 voted unanimously to ask the U.S. Justice Department, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, the county civil grand jury and its own county counsel to investigate Sheriff Laurie Smith, her department and the county jail for...
Nonprofit, volunteers, donors serve Thanksgiving to Gilroy’s unhoused
Volunteers and staff from South County Community Services served a home-cooked Thanksgiving meal—complete with all the fixings—to about 100 unhoused residents of Gilroy on Nov. 20.
The free holiday meal, which has become a philanthropic tradition of the South County Compassion Center and partnering organizations,...
Statewide homelessness climbs 3%
California’s homeless population remains the biggest in the nation, but the crisis is growing more slowly here than in most of the rest of the country, according to new federal data.
The number of homeless Californians increased just over 3% last year compared to the...
Local Scene: Academic Honors
Escobedo graduates
Gilroy resident Selene Escobedo, majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies, graduated from Biola University at the spring 2024 commencement ceremony. The ceremony took place on May 3 and 4.
Quilt show benefits AAUW
The AAUW Gilroy branch will host a quilt show and lunch from 11am-2:30pm May...
Santa Clara County lifts indoor mask mandate
Santa Clara County lifted its indoor mask mandate March 2, the last county in the Bay Area to do so following the region's winter surge in Covid-19 cases.
County officials said they expect to meet the third and final benchmark required to lift local masking...
Comment now on Gilroy Civic Center Master Plan proposal
The ambitious Gilroy Civic Center Master Plan Draft calls for the demolition of City Hall and its annex building, Wheeler Auditorium, the senior center and a stretch of Hanna Street between Sixth and Seventh streets. The long-term public development plan includes a new City...
