It was billed as a fun family event for kids, with bags of candy, the Easter Bunny and proceeds earmarked to train service dogs for military veterans home from war and hurting.
Thirty years is a long time, but to tack on another seven for needed upgrades to City Hall, that was tough amidst peeling wallpaper, dangling blinds and worn out floor covering once trod on by a motorcycle driven by a new city council member.
Lack of affordable housing, poor road conditions, and the availability of street drugs are some of the biggest problems raised by community leaders in Gilroy recently, during a fact-finding session hosted by the largest community foundation in the country.
As your City Council member, I am often asked about the significance of Gilroy Gardens and if it is profitable for the city to maintain its investment in the property. Before answering the question, I always ask the citizen how they define profitable. In the pure business sense profit is defined as a financial gain, the difference between the amount earned and the amount spent buying something. However, profit can also be defined as creating an advantage or benefit, or as being beneficial to serve, assist, or aid.
Since California has had strict protections for keeping government open to the people. That’s why we were shocked to see that Gilroy’s Mayor Roland Velasco was giving his state of the city speech to an audience that paid $30 apiece at a Chamber of Commerce fundraiser to hear it last week, and with him were four other city council members.