Politics

After spending more than $13 million on Gilroy Gardens earlier

Mayor Don Gage shocked a packed city council chambers Monday evening by resigning his office at the beginning of the meeting.

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.

As of Wednesday, a deal between the Gilroy and Great Wolf Lodge had slipped away.

Gilroy City Councilman Dion Bracco filed a public records request last month for information on mayoral opponent and Councilman Perry Woodward's private home security system, including billing records and whether police have ever responded to his Eagle Ridge residence for false alarms, according to documents obtained by the Dispatch.

New turning restrictions on upper Welburn Avenue and Mantelli Drive drew ire from nearly 200 people Tuesday night, who packed the cafeteria of Luigi Aprea Elementary School.

Downtown Gilroy just got a little more historical, educational and convenient.

With a proposed budget that includes an $850 billion surplus and a $97.6 billion general fund for the 2013-14 fiscal year, Gov. Jerry Brown painted a brighter financial future for California at Thursday's proposed budget plan roll-out.

Retail outlet center Gilroy Crossing, which boasts stores