Politics

With a $7.6 million deficit hanging over their heads, city

In an effort to take local control before new state laws go into effect in January, the Gilroy City Council passed two “emergency” ordinances last week, one to stop commercial cannabis sales and the other to limit the size of “grandmother” units to 600...

Gilroy City Council, despite hearing from nine concerned business owners and residents, strengthened an already existing ordinance to altogether ban a wide variety of signage, from prohibiting A-frame signs within city limits to excluding costumed sign-waving human advertisers from public property.

Luis Alejo (D-Salinas) made a special appearance at Central High School Friday to speak to students. With about 100 or so students, Mayor Steve Tate, Morgan Hill Unified School District Superintendent Wes Smith and trustees Claudia Rossi and Ron Woolf, the assembly member spoke about his childhood and how he got to the state capitol. He said he was arrested at 16 while attending Watsonville High School and was put on juvenile probation. After another offense his senior year, the school told him with one more problem, he would be expelled. 

Unless the city's four unions make major concessions this week,

Will the Gilroy police officers follow in the footsteps of the

Gilroy's City Council voted to improve a 29-home development in

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 Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters is encouraging voters to drop off their ballots this weekend so they can get to counting the votes in time for Tuesday night.