Politics

Four stately 100-year-old trees lining Fifth Street in Gilroy will soon be absent from the neighborhood skyline, and some aggrieved homeowners are questioning Gilroy’s commitment to live up to its “Tree City USA” moniker.

With all the money that’s spent in our county on flood prevention and control, it’s reasonable to expect that there would be some good plans to prevent a Katrina-style urban flood. Judging by what occurred to residents in neighborhoods to the north—in a modern city of a million people—it’s safe to conclude that local communities are not well prepared for large-scale natural disasters.

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.

The owner of a San Francisco-based lighting company is questioning why a massive, citywide project was given to the Pacific Gas & Electric Company—and not subject to an open, competitive bidding process.

The Santa Clara County Clerk Recorder’s office continues to see a growing demand for marriage licenses following last month’s court rulings that upheld same-sex unions in California, as the office issued more licenses Friday than any other day in County history, according to County staff.

Throughout her life, Mary Gutierrez has fought to prove she can excel in male-dominated fields—whether it's competitive bodybuilding, sparring with Marines or fighting fires. Now, she's breaking down barriers as the first woman in a management position with the Gilroy Fire Department.

The state could force Gilroy to lend it more than $1 million,

Come January, developers and small business owners will be

Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith and her challenger in the June election, recently retired Sheriff's Capt. Kevin Jensen, both agree the Sheriff's Office can do more to help better rehabilitate prisoners and parolees to prevent them from continuing to commit crimes.