Politics

It was the 1950s: Mt. Everest was conquered, Elvis and Disneyland became household names and Susanne Steinmetz went to work for the city of Gilroy in 1952. She was 15.

What appears to be a split vote taken weeks ago behind closed

After working in Gilroy for more than seven years, Gilroy Fire Department Chief Dale Foster announced his retirement Thursday.   This time, Foster is determined to "retire for real," referring to his retirement from San Jose Fire Department in 2003 before his move to Gilroy.    "I’ll miss being involved in so many things relating to public safety, and I'll miss the people I’ve worked with and dealt with in this job," Foster said.    Foster, a Morgan Hill resident, said he loves the Gilroy community and plans to stay involved with all things Gilroy and Morgan Hill.    As for the fire department, Foster believes they'll be just fine without him.   "I think the fire department is on a good track right now, and I think the future is good for the the department and the City," he said.    In his retirement, Foster plans to travel, enjoy time with his wife and "basically do whatever I want."   Foster's last day with the department is August 17.    Foster graduated from Oregon State University, where he worked part-time at a fire station in Oregon while going to school. Foster said in 2005 that the experience sparked a love for firefighting that has lasted more than 30 years.   He joined San Jose Fire Department in 1972 after fulfilling his U.S. Navy reserve commitment and stayed there 32 years.   He rose through the ranks to engineer, then captain then in 1996 to battalion chief in, then to deputy chief, and finally, in 2000 to assistant chief.

The city has collected $13.8 million less from developers than

GILROY—More than 4,400 rural residents in Santa Clara County, nearly half in South County, will open mailboxes in May to find bills for a controversial fire protection fee levied by Cal Fire, the state’s fire fighting arm.

With Election Day less than two months away, city officials are asking the community for support of the “Quality of Life” sales tax measure on the ballot. Mayor Don Gage and City Administrator Tom Haglund spoke at the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce's Government Relations Committee meeting Sept. 12 and answered questions from the public.

With vacant downtown storefronts wanting for entrepreneurs and a

As an architect, Reid Lerner has traveled around the country designing everything from military bases and missile launch sites to a large golf course development outside Fort Collins, Colorado.