Politics

Property foreclosures do not usually conjure up images of

GILROY—After 34 years in various local political offices, plain speaking Mayor Don Gage, 70, announced his retirement this week, at the start of Monday’s city council meeting. The one-time farmer, IBM program manager and elected representative said he wanted to spend time with his family, including three daughters and six grandchildren. He served through boom and bust times, watched the city and the freeway grow, and leaves as Gilroy pursues its biggest and most controversial housing project.

He came to Gilroy as deputy district attorney prosecuting drug dealers and bad financial actors. Mayor Pro Tempore Peter Leroe-Muñoz is a Harvard Law School alum with a first-hand understanding of public safety issues affecting the region. No longer in the running for state Assembly, having dropped out of the race in January, Leroe-Muñoz has two more years left in his term on the City Council. In this Q&A he addresses a major project’s effect on the communications capabilities of law enforcement and emergency responders across the region, as well as a rumour about his residency.

Daniel Harney, 40, was appointed by six City Council members on Jan. 25 to fill the vacancy left when Mayor Don Gage retired and Councilman Perry Woodward filled his seat. He was chosen over seven highly qualified applicants to serve for 10 months. Harney thinks he will run for election to the office for the following four years. He was sworn in and started to serve immediately after being appointed.

Property owners could soon call Downtown Gilroy home again. And

Massive budget cuts for the Caltrain rail system will likely

The City of Gilroy is racking up thousands of dollars in legal fees as it staunchly resists settling a year-old lawsuit from two firefighter chiefs who claim they were cheated out of overtime pay, according to court records.

Police Chief Denise Turner said the newly opened medical