Politics

52 at Ferguson. If you're a Gilroy resident, or a commuter from outside of the area, you know the spot I'm talking about. The "new" light at the intersection of 152 and Ferguson that went in a few years ago. If you live close like I do, you know how often things go wrong or happen at this exact spot. The lights were put in to "help" with the fender benders and multitude of accidents that happened when it was just a stop sign. Too many people were impatient and caused gridlock right at this spot from all directions.

In a 4-3 vote, the Gilroy City Council on Monday took a big step in approving the design of a 73-unit housing project south of Hecker Pass Highway.

Rich Ragasa was walking his 10-pound poodle mix named Penny at Sunrise Park at 7:30 p.m. March 11, as he did every evening, when a pair of pit bulls approached, unleashed, from behind.

Gilroy’s three biggest public employers have amassed more than $183 million in unpaid pension liabilities. That’s likely more than ever, and a figure that, absent major reform, will grow and siphon budget funds from essential public services, say officials and pension experts.

As dance music thumps through the cozy bike shop at the corner of Welburn Avenue and Church Street, proprietor of Shifty Cycles, Kevin Griffin, points to a hanging aluminum sign with an illustration of a kid doing a turn on his bike and the words “NBL Gilroy BMX.”

Salary and benefit hikes for Gilroy city employees were the highest among Santa Clara County municipalities in the first half of the decade, while earnings for regular workers were stagnant, according to data published online by the nonprofit watchdog group Transparent California.

Santa Clara firm, Guerra Construction was awarded $144,590 to complete Phase II of upgrades to San Ysidro Park. Out of five bids submitted to the city, Guerra’s came out the lowest, nearly $60,000 less than the top bid of $203,282. According to the staff report, the project includes a new concrete pathway along the southern edge of the 9.25 acre park, concrete and drainage improvements to picnic areas adjacent to the pathway, and ADA improvements to a drinking fountain.

Gilroyans who voted to tax themselves in November to improve local transportation may have a longer and trickier wait than they expected.

The California Supreme Court last week put a sock in the argument that it’s OK for elected officials and government employees to keep citizens out of the loop by using private email and texting accounts to conduct the public’s business.

What amounts to a quasi-gag order has been imposed on talks about building a multi-million dollar waterslide-themed resort at the Gilroy Gardens Family Park, which is facing financial issues of its own.