Politics

The City Council has a smorgasbord of items to cover for their regular meeting Monday night. Here is a sampling of what City leaders in your community will be discussing:

The Gilroy City Council on Monday voted to join a new county energy agency that plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions by getting power from renewable sources.

HOLLISTER—Hollister City Councilman Victor Gomez last week said the Santa Clara County Valley Transportation Authority tabled creation of the Mobility Partnership, a multi-county coalition weighing changes to Highways 152 and 25, based on his concerns about imbalanced representation.

Four Live Oak High School students urged the mostly Hispanic contingent of adults in attendance for an April 21 Cinco de Mayo community safety meeting to not show up in front of their school May 5 like two other groups have planned.

Area arts groups and nonprofits will meet tonight with the City

In a press release, the city of Morgan Hill pushed back on threats of deporting residents, part of the agenda of President-elect Donald J. Trump. It also took on proliferating hate crimes.Here is the release:Recent national events have triggered some negative impacts in many Morgan Hill residents; fear and uncertainty about their well-being and their status in our community and country. The Morgan Hill City Council and staff want to reassure our residents that we will stand up for all of them. Many of our residents are foreign-born and fear that changes in immigration rules or enforcement could separate their families. There are also concerns about proposed federal registries of community members of the Muslim faith. And the recent nationwide spike in hate crimes is causing even more fear. Here in Morgan Hill, we cannot control the events in Washington, D.C., but we can do much to care for each other here at home. We want to assure you that: Hate Crimes will not be tolerated in Morgan HillOur Police Department is committed to enforcing laws against commitment of hate crimes without regard to the immigration status of the victim or reporting party. Please report all incidents to the Police Department at 408-779-2101. Our Police will not be used for federal immigration enforcementChanges to immigration laws and enforcement are the responsibility of federal policy makers. Local police should not be involved in federal immigration enforcement and our Police Officers will continue to focus their time on high priority crimes. In accordance with best practices of local law enforcement professionals nationally, we will stay out of immigration enforcement. Our priority is to maintain the trusting relationship Morgan Hill Police Officers have with our community. Anyone who witnesses or is a victim of any crime can contact the Police Department without fear of inquiry regarding their immigration status. Your Constitutional rights will be protected We cannot know if assertions made during national campaigning -- like Muslim registries -- will come to fruition. We will monitor any proposed legislation or executive actions from Washington and work closely with our national, state and local representatives, other cities, and if necessary, the courts, to protect the Constitutional rights of our residents.  Discrimination based on race, national origin, ethnicity, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, color or disability is prohibited under federal and/or state law. We will protect the rights of all our residents, regardless of background or sexual orientation. Morgan Hill residents are highly ethical; we have a set of ethical values that are fundamental to the character of our community. Foremost among the ethical values is respect. Because we respect those we interact with, we treat them honestly, fairly and responsibly. In this time of uncertainty and fear, we encourage all our residents to maintain a high level of respect in all their interactions. Thank you for making Morgan Hill a well respected and inclusive community.

There were fiery exchanges in the first mayoral debate Tuesday between candidates Perry Woodward and Roland Velasco—and some distinctions made between their policies and hopes for the city.

Council vote delays upgrades until market analysis is

In a first for the Santa Clara Valley District, the board of