Council extends deadline to fix URM buildings
Downtown property owners will have five more months to get their
Council talks improving softball diamond at Sunrise Park
City Council plans to vote on whether or not to accept an added expenditure of $47,800 for construction improvements to the softball diamond at Sunrise Park, west of Santa Teresa in the northwest quad, or downsize the project.
City won’t let Latino community agency have a ground floor storefront downtown
A Latino advocacy group that puts on the annual Tamale festival in downtown Gilroy was left out in the cold Monday, as the City Council in a 3-2 vote, refused to give them the okay to occupy the ground floor of a building in Gilroy’s downtown historic district.
City Council matches demographics
Gilroy is becoming increasingly Latino, according to new census reports, and its elected officials match the city’s shifting demographics.
The re-election of Peter Leroe-Muñoz as the Gilroy City Council’s fourth Latino member may enable the city to avoid the kind of dramatic shift to district...
Perry Woodward Chosen as Mayor in First Council Meeting of the Year
Attorney Perry Woodward succeeded Don Gage as Gilroy's mayor Monday night.Don Gage retired from the post on Dec. 31 after 30 years of public service and with 10 months left on his term. Woodward will serve out the remainder of Gage’s term, which expires in December. Residents will be able to vote for a mayor to serve a full four-year term during municipal elections in November.The council will next select a replacement for the empty council seat from applicants who apply to the city clerk by January 15. The sole dissenting vote was cast by councilmember Roland Velasco, who said while he likes Woodward personally, the pair have had “too many policy disagreements” to vote for him. No other councilmember was forwarded to take on the role. The meeting quickly moved forward to the reading of the oath of office, during which Woodward stood with his two young daughters. The entire proceedings took about five minutes. After taking the Oath, Woodward said he promised to represent all residents, not just those who live in his neighborhood or show up to meetings.The only hiccup to the proceedings occurred minutes later when Woodward attempted to make a motion to appoint city council member, Peter Leroe-Munoz as mayor pro tempore.The item was not on the night’s agenda and three people from the audience spoke up, including the chairman of the city’s Open Government Commission, Walt Glines, who had some succinct words of advice for the council, “If it’s not on the agenda, don’t do it.”With that, Woodward recanted, saying, “Ok, you’ve persuaded me.” The mayor pro tem will be selected at the next city council meeting.The city's attorney had counseled Woodward earlier to appoint a secondary mayor right away in case Woodward had to miss a meeting. Woodward, a local lawyer, has served on the Gilroy City Council since 2007, the last 3 years as Mayor Pro Tem.
Fire ‘tax’ on rural landowners ignites backlash, lawsuit
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.
