Politics

More than 50 students, parents and members of the community marched nearly two miles through Gilroy to City Hall Thursday at noon to celebrate unity and diversity, things they said were absent in the campaign rhetoric of President-elect Donald J. Trump.The march, organized by the Student Democratic Club at Gavilan College and including local middle and high school students, started at the old CVS store on First Street and continued along Hanna to City Hall, where the peaceful gathering concluded with speakers and a sharing circle on the complex lawn. As they marched they chanted “Unity through diversity,” “The people united will never be divided” “Hey Ho Racism has got to go.” Noshava Afzao, a Gilroy educational consultant who trains teachers, and wore a hijab said she was there with a flag to accent that liberty and justice “was for everyone.” She worried about how the election would affect that. “There’s a lot of disappointment,” she said.  “The election is a wake up call. I thought we lived in a country that had made progress and this just shows how much progress we need to make.”As word spread that students at Gavilan College were planning a citywide walkout, school administrators scrambled to inform high school parents.“Gilroy is a lovely little bubble of people who are not always proactive. We want to acknowledge voices and create a coalition,” said Sarah Najar, Vice President of the Gavilan Democratic Club.An email to Christopher High School parents from Principal Paul Winslow said: “FYI High School Parents: Someone is encouraging students to cut school” and “while we definitely support free speech, the right to assemble peacefully, and the right to express opinion” students who missed school to participate would be penalized and not be able to make up work.Lisa Ruiz, a parent of Gilroy students with special needs, said she received a call from the GUSD the night before alerting her that any absence would be considered unexcused, but felt she needed to come anyways.“I got to be here in solidarity with the minorities in the community and to see what we can do to help to unify everyone not be divided and hopefully we can get together in love.”As people gathered in the parking lot, members of the Gilroy Police Department kept an eye on proceedings. Sgt. Wes Stanford had a team of motorcycle officers  charged with making sure the demonstrators were safe walking the mile and a half between First Street and City Hall. The department was notified of the march, but organizers didn’t know they would need a permit. “We want to make sure that it’s peaceful, that they are allowed to voice their opinion and whatever views they have and they get to City Hall in a safe fashion.” Stanford said the city has had sporadic marches over the years with the last one he remembers an Occupy Gilroy march of eight people.The well-behaved crowd began their march up First Street - along the sidewalks and stopping at all intersections, using the crosswalks - the sound of honking cars mingling with chants calling for unity.Iris Cueto, 23, a Gavilan biology major, said “The election is making me feel sad, but it’s also making me feel happy to have youth standing up for their rights. It’s nice to see them out here protesting in a peaceful way.” Holding up a coat hanger poster that read, “Never Again,” Summer Diaz, 18, said: “I believe everyone should have their rights. I believe that women should make their own choice and politicians should stay out of women’s rights. “ When the marchers got to City Hall they were offered bottled water by the student organizers who then thanked the crowd for obeying all the traffic laws and the police for “keeping us safe.” Addressing the group, Dr. Enrique Luna, who teaches history at Gavilan, said “we don’t want to be here, but there is a need.” Thanking the march organizers for putting on the event, he said at times he was both laughing and shedding a few tears during the march to city hall. It’s hard to build a community, it’s easy to destroy a community. And we are here to do the hard work.”    

  No longer an oasis of polyethylene in Santa Clara County, Gilroy joined the rest of the state in getting rid of single-use plastic bags, as California voted to ban the environmental hazard on Nov. 8, the first state in the nation to do so.Proposition 67, which put plastic shopping bags on the chopping block, was passed 52 to 48 percent and created a unified law for the state, which saw an increasing number of local jurisdictions take up the issue since San Francisco became the first city in California to ban plastic bags in 2007.“It’s for the environment, no plastic bags is okay with me; I can carry my stuff,” said Gilroy resident, Kaylee Amaro, who was seen carrying her shopping, a package of cookies, outside Safeway on Friday.Effective immediately, the plastic bag ban restricts food retailers, corner markets and grocery stores from providing single-use plastic bags. Recyclable paper bags can be bought for 10 cents each. The money collected is kept by the retailer. A competing measure, Prop. 65, would have directed the fees to be used for environmental activities, but it did not pass.Before last week’s vote settled the matter in California, 122 ordinances banning single-use plastic bags had been approved in the state, covering 151 county or local jurisdictions, according to Ballotpedia. That is nearly half of California.In Gilroy, a single-use plastic bag ban was discussed by the City Council, first in 2008 to support the Cities Association of Santa Clara County and again a few years later, but the council took no action.In April, Councilwoman Cat Tucker reintroduced the issue at a policy meeting, but it was not pursued by the council.Now, Tucker, who won re-election to the council on Nov. 8, said she had been expecting the proposition to pass.A poll in October showed 45 percent of likely California voters supported the ban, along with a wide swathe of businesses, unions and organizations. Prop.67 was also endorsed by Gov. Jerry Brown and local state Senator Bill Monning.“I am happy,” said Tucker. “I personally always bring cloth bags when I go grocery shopping.”The passage of Prop 67 ratified Senate Bill 270, banning plastic bags in the state, considered a landmark bill when Governor Jerry Brown signed it in 2014.The bill was shelved after a successful signature-gathering effort by American Progressive Bag Alliance, a lobby group for plastic bag manufacturers, stalled it in its tracks.The same group spent $6.14 million to fight Prop. 67, and despite raising almost double the amount raised by the Yes on 67 campaign, it failed to stop momentum to ban that had been building across the state.Now, shoppers in Gilroy will have to kick their plastic bag habit, just like others in Santa Clara County did in years past.Plastic bags were banned in unincorporated areas of the county, including San Martin, since 2012. Morgan Hill’s ban began on Earth Day (April 22) 2014. San Jose has been plastic bag free since 2011.Even though the writing has been on the wall for sometime now, the change caught some by surprise at the grocery store in the days after the election.“It’s hard when you have the two kids and are trying to carry everything,” said Noemi Santiago, as she left with her two young children and an armload of groceries from Safeway on First Street.The plastic bag ban will not just require a behavioral shift from Gilroy shoppers, but for some residents, a lifestyle shift as well.“I like the plastic bags because you can throw garbage in them and tie them up and throw them in the garbage can,” said Dotty, a Gilroy resident who did not want to give her last name.Exiting Safeway on Friday, Dotty’s shopping cart was filled with paper bags, but she said she will start bringing her reusables.“I have my own bags in the car, so I will start using those. I like a bag that you could wash. The ones they are selling for 25 cents are too flimsy.”And while Dotty will happily change her shopping habits, she did not vote for the proposition.“I can’t believe in this, I’m sorry, I just don’t. I didn’t vote for it,” she said. “And this global warming stuff—I don’t believe in that either. I mean, the world changes automatically. That’s the way God made it and it’s not because of me doing something. Even if it was, even if everybody in the United States didn’t use plastic bags, didn’t do this, didn’t do that, it isn’t going to do a darn thing because the other countries are not doing it. You think our air is going to be any cleaner than theirs? No. So it’s just another way to get our money.”According to the Center for Biological Diversity, there was more plastic manufactured in the first decade of the 21st century, than in all the years leading up to 2000, and single-use plastic bags have become a target for those concerned about the level of plastic pollution in the environment.Less than 5 percent of plastic bags are recycled in California, so the majority end up as litter or in landfills and they are not biodegradable. They are made from polyethylene, which takes up to 1,000 years to decompose.It is estimated that 100,000 marine mammals die each year because of plastic litter in the North Pacific, according to marine research organization Algalita. A recent report from UC-Davis found that marine birds are attracted to the smell of plastic and consume the shimmery material, mistaking it for food.   

Gavilan College students are joining protests across the country with a walkout set for Thursday. The campus Democratic Club is planning to have students leave campus at noon, meet at the parking lot of the new CVS on First Street and head to City Hall, where they will hear speakers.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE PLANNING COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MORGAN HILL WILL CONDUCT A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE FOLLOWING PROPOSAL(S) AT THE DATE, TIME AND LOCATION LISTED BELOW. ALL INTERESTED PERSONS ARE INVITED TO ATTEND THE HEARING AND PROVIDE COMMENTS.

Open seatsThis week you had a chance to vote for the people you want to run your city. Now you have a chance to get out and run things yourself.Gilroy has openings for people to serve on city boards, which make policies and recommendations to the City Council about how things should be in the city. For people interested in politics, it’s an excellent first step toward higher office. For people who just want to serve their community, it’s one of the most important things you can do. It’s also tremendously educational.Terms start in the new year and the deadline to apply is Dec. 12. Documents are available at the City of Gilroy website.Here are the openings:The Arts & Culture Commission has one opening on the seven-member board, which advises on all things to do with local art and performance. Meets the second Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m.The Bicycle Pedestrian Commission has two open seats for people to study and advise on matters of two-wheeled transportation. The five-member commission meets the fourth Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m.The Building Board of Appeals has two of five seats open on a commission that hears construction and building appeals. It meets as needed.Community and Neighborhood Revitalization Committee has three of seven open seats. It studies needs and strategies for making neighborhoods better. It meets the third Wednesday of each month at 6:45 p.m.Historic Heritage Committee has one of five seats available to work on preserving Gilroy’s history. It meets the third Wednesday of each month at 5:30 p.m.Housing Advisory Committee has four of nine seats open to study housing matters. It meets the second Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m.The Planning Commission has one of seven seats open. More than any body apart from the City Council, this one determines how Gilroy will look. It meets the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m.The Library Commission deals with the library and meets the second Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. It has two of five seats open.The Parks and Recreation Commission has two of seven openings to determine all things about parks and fun. It meets the third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m.The Personnel Commission has one of five seats available to handle city staff matters. It meets the second Monday of the month at 5:30 p.m.The Physically Challenged Board of Appeals has two of five seats open. It deals with ways the community can help those who are physically challenged. It meets the second Tuesday of each month at 10 a.m.The  Public Art Commission has two of seven openings to work on matters of public art. It meets the fourth Wednesday of the month at 5:30 p.m.Don’t just talk about what you want to see in the city: make it happen here.       

It’s hard not to think that Gilroy and the state of California are in a different country than the one that swept in a strong Republican, anti-government agenda.Gilroyans took a hard liberal bent and chose to cut sprawling growth out of the city limits and focus on downtown development. It elected a slate of slow-growthers and tossed out those who tried to sneak by a 4,000-house project that would have increased traffic, raised public service expenses and made its developers $3 billion.County voters favored Hillary Clinton by 73 percent. They beat back the “no tax” trend by  increasing fees on cigarettes to fund health programs and increased sales tax to improve transportation. They raised money for the homeless. They funded schools. They pushed back on the exorbitant prices charged by drug companies.Those are huge positives in a national election that seemed to rip the fiber of the country apart.California’s voting trend this time around suggests that if you want to return to a time when America was great, you can look to the 1950s to the 1970s, when people were proud to pay taxes to improve their country. Tax rates on the rich were as high as 90 percent. The rich were still incredibly rich, but they were willing to do their share. Then came the trickle-down theory, which never quite trickled down. This week local voters took bold steps back to the days when people were far more willing to take responsibility for their circumstances and were willing to pay to make thecounty and state great again.Americans may never again experience a campaign season like the one that ended Tuesday—or might they all be like this from now on?The historic nature of the election, the first one where Americans got to vote for a woman as the presidential nominee of a major party, was almost lost during 16 months of daily scandal and insults.News outlets on both ends of the political spectrum, from Fox to MSNBC and innumerable blogs in between, kept Americans hooked, transforming those who were never politically expressive into keyboard pundits, posting their thoughts on Facebook and Twitter.While Barack Obama’s presidential runs in 2008 and 2012 were touted for their use of data and technology, social media came into its own during election 2016, invigorating the electorate like never before.Sure, some Facebook friends were lost in the shuffle, but now as the dust settles, Americans should look to harness some of that energy and enthusiasm and continue to find ways to participate and engage with our nation’s brazen and brow-beaten democracy.Here’s one suggestion: start attending your local City Council and municipal commission meetings. Make it a habit. Usually, the only time people go is when they have a problem, a mission, or are on the agenda. A crowded council chambers says something to elected officials: We are here, we are watching, we care.Better yet, take some time and join local commissions. Become the solution. Get involved. Take control of your government.Both Trump and, during the primaries especially, Bernie Sanders decried our nation’s “rigged” system, basically saying that ordinary citizens have no hope whatsoever of changing the course of their own lives let alone the country’s.Don’t get fooled, get involved.

In a crushing rebuke to Gilroy’s pro-growthers, Councilman Roland Velasco defeated Mayor Perry Woodward and a tough urban growth boundary initiative was passed by voters.Velasco pulled in 66 percent of the vote to Woodward’s 34 percent. The anti-sprawl measure, which requires residential development beyond the designated boundary to go before voters, did even better with 65.8 percent of the vote.Woodward, who was appointed mayor in January following Don Gage’s December 2015 resignation, was the architect of a plan to convert 721 acres of farmland into more than 4,000 new homes. The plan infuriated residents, who organized a petition drive to place the Measure H growth control initiative on the ballot.Velasco voted against the North Gilroy Neighborhood District plan when it came before the council but he opposed Measure H because he felt it would tie the hands of future councils. The growth restrictions, which will force the city to grow within city limits rather than expand its boundaries will be in force through 2040. The Gilroy Chamber of Commerce, which led the opposition to Measure H, endorsed Velasco.“The community was very frustrated over the tone coming out of the mayor's office. They did not appreciate adding 4,000 homes to Gilroy outside of the general plan process,” Velasco said at a victory party at the Old City Hall restaurant as he led in early results. “What we need to focus our energy on is economic development, not more housing. I think that sort of message really resonated with people. They want safe, strong neighborhoods, they want more jobs here in Gilroy.”Two new council members and one incumbent led the seven-person field for three open seats. Anti-growth advocate Fred Tovar and incumbent Cat Tucker, who has served nine years and is the only woman on the council, won seats. Paul Kloecker, a planning commissioner who opposed the 721 acres, tracked ahead of fellow planning commissioner Tom Fischer for the third spot by 91 votes, with four precincts left to count.Ebay executive Daniel Harney, who was appointed in January to fill Woodward’s council seat after Woodward was appointed mayor, trailed in sixth place.Council members must now appoint a community member to fill the seat vacated by Velasco for the next two years.At several election night parties across Gilroy, local candidates and their supporters sipped wine, and ate hors d’oeuvres as the results came in.At First Street Kitchen & Cocktails early in the evening, Harney remained hopeful, but said, “I plan to apply for the fourth position to serve out the remaining two years.”Harney, a naturalized citizen (from Canada) who voted in his first general election on Tuesday, spent much of the last two months hitting the pavement and speaking to Gilroy voters. “It’s a lot of hard work. I think I underestimated how much effort was required to do it. I hit over 3,000 homes over the course of the election season, participated in seven forums and different engagements. So it was really draining physically. It’s been a really tough campaign season.”Big winners of the night, Gilroy Growing Smarter—the coalition behind Measure H—were enthusiastic as the measure maintained its early lead throughout the night.“We are excited. It’s a great time,” said Joe Lovecchio, who started the 3,000-strong Facebook group, Gilroy Community for a Better Downtown, and was an early supporter of the anti-sprawl measure. “I can’t believe that all this hard work has finally paid off. We are excited and can’t wait to see what happens after.”He said the experience of putting a citizen-led measure on the ballot, a first for Gilroy, was a “real eye-opener” about the necessity of staying involved in local government. “As community members we need to be involved. We need to be active. Let’s work together to build the community we want.”At Velasco’s election night party, City Councilman Dion Bracco, who was not up for re-election, voiced surprise over the local and national results. “We kind of get drowned out when we have a big national election. I think it hurts us because people don’t pay attention [to local issues]. We can see that in how some of the council candidates are stacking up.”He added: “The national stuff is just out there—it’s nothing that anyone expected.”As for Measure H, though it was widely panned by the current City Council, Bracco struck a conciliatory tone.“We serve at the pleasure of the voters and we will live with those boundaries. One thing in the city we always show is we can take on any challenge.”The downtown arts center, which has been in a state of limbo for the last several years as plans for its expansion have stalled at City Hall, was brought up by multiple candidates for City Council the last couple months as a way to revitalize downtown.“I’ve known Roland for a long time and he has always been an arts supporter,” said L. Mattock Scariot, local filmmaker and member of the Gilroy Arts Alliance, which operates the city’s downtown arts center. “He has always said we need to get things moving, not just talk. So I’m just waiting for him to get in there and take those next steps and make some things happen. It’s only a matter of time until we get a bigger arts center, more public art out in Gilroy and just build a better, more artistic community.”At Fred Tovar’s election night party at The District Theater, music was pumping and lights were flashing on the dancefloor as the former GUSD school board president maintained his lead in the City Council race the entire night. “It’s his time. Gilroy is going to be very lucky to have him,” said sister-in-law Tiny Tovar. “When you are confident and ready to make a change, people will follow.”Surrounded by supporters, Tovar said: “It feels good. All the hard work, walking every precinct in Gilroy. My 12 years in public office paid off. The community understands I am here to listen and that I am ready to fight for Gilroy.”Also at The District was Rachel Perez, who won a seat on the Gavilan College Board of Trustees: “I’m feeling really good. Without my committee and supporters, I probably would not be here. We walked every street in Hollister and canvassed all of Gilroy and a lot of San Martin.”She added: “I really want to give people in the three communities I am serving a real voice at the college and make it a place the community is proud of and to do the right thing for students.” 

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