Council rails against bullet-train plan
Gilroy City Council members probed California High-Speed Rail
Perry Woodward Chosen as Mayor in First Council Meeting of the Year
Attorney Perry Woodward succeeded Don Gage as Gilroy's mayor Monday night.Don Gage retired from the post on Dec. 31 after 30 years of public service and with 10 months left on his term. Woodward will serve out the remainder of Gage’s term, which expires in December. Residents will be able to vote for a mayor to serve a full four-year term during municipal elections in November.The council will next select a replacement for the empty council seat from applicants who apply to the city clerk by January 15. The sole dissenting vote was cast by councilmember Roland Velasco, who said while he likes Woodward personally, the pair have had “too many policy disagreements” to vote for him. No other councilmember was forwarded to take on the role. The meeting quickly moved forward to the reading of the oath of office, during which Woodward stood with his two young daughters. The entire proceedings took about five minutes. After taking the Oath, Woodward said he promised to represent all residents, not just those who live in his neighborhood or show up to meetings.The only hiccup to the proceedings occurred minutes later when Woodward attempted to make a motion to appoint city council member, Peter Leroe-Munoz as mayor pro tempore.The item was not on the night’s agenda and three people from the audience spoke up, including the chairman of the city’s Open Government Commission, Walt Glines, who had some succinct words of advice for the council, “If it’s not on the agenda, don’t do it.”With that, Woodward recanted, saying, “Ok, you’ve persuaded me.” The mayor pro tem will be selected at the next city council meeting.The city's attorney had counseled Woodward earlier to appoint a secondary mayor right away in case Woodward had to miss a meeting. Woodward, a local lawyer, has served on the Gilroy City Council since 2007, the last 3 years as Mayor Pro Tem.
Fire chief lawsuit settled
The yearlong saga surrounding a lawsuit brought by former Gilroy Fire Division Chief Edward Bozzo and current Fire Division Chief Phillip King against the City of Gilroy has come to an end.
City adds new ‘Coffee with the Mayor’ dates
Mayor Don Gage has set two more dates for his up-close and informal “Coffee with the Mayor” events. These meetings, where residents of Gilroy can engage the mayor on a broad range of issues, are scheduled to take place at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, April 13, and Saturday, May 11 in the City Council Chambers, located at 7351 Rosanna St. in Gilroy.
Paralyzed ‘vexatious litigant’ cannot sue at will
A paralyzed man who has sued hundreds of businesses, including
Hispanic groups reject Gavilan College election maps
GILROY—Hispanic voting rights advocates have challenged a trio of draft plans for new voting districts drawn by Gavilan Community College as it carefully makes a historic switch from at-large to by-district elections for the board of trustees.
Transients ticketed for sleeping in a car?
Following a recent court ruling that found the City of Los Angeles’ ban on living in a vehicle unconstitutional, local advocates for the homeless will ask Gilroy officials to stop punishing those who have no other place to sleep.
