Politics

Gilroy City Council candidate Fred Tovar has a history of missing election law deadlines and was fined nearly $2,000 for doing so, according to county records.

When it comes to people advocating for safety measures in their neighborhood, Gilroy City Council candidate Cat Tucker is very familiar with the concept, as it is what drove her toward local politics in the first place.“I started getting involved in city politics because of traffic issues in my neighborhood back in 1990s when the city refused to put a [traffic] signal at Santa Teresa and Longmeadow,” Tucker said via email.Just like recent efforts from residents in Eagle Ridge and upper Welburn Avenue—highlighting the ongoing traffic stressors in the dense residential area surrounding Luigi Aprea Elementary School in the city’s west side—Tucker led her neighborhood in lobbying for Sunrise Drive to be constructed, then parlayed that experience into a stint on the city’s General Plan Update Committee, then eight years on the Planning Commission before first being elected to the City Council in 2007.“I applaud all the citizens for getting involved and letting us know their concerns,” said Tucker, who believes the city’s proposed citywide traffic study will help.As the only woman running for one of three open council seats and with current councilwoman Terri Aulman choosing not to run for re-election, if Tucker should lose in November it would leave an all-male City Council. Tucker said every month she gets asked a question from working mothers.“I bring a woman’s perspective and add diversity to the council,” she said. “One of the most common questions I [receive is]: ‘When will the city provide bathrooms at all the parks, not just the large parks?’ Every time, I tell them, ‘I ask about it every year during budget review time and I am outvoted, but don’t give up, we need to ask the men the same questions!”Tucker is an independent, moderate thinker, according to her website (http://www.cattucker.com), and active in the St. Mary Community as part of the church council. She goes on their Mexico Mission every year as the camp director, taking teens to build homes for the poor in Tijuana. Tucker is also the head of the Garlic Festival Association’s refreshments committee. A registered Democrat, Tucker and council candidate Fred Tovar are endorsed by the Santa Clara County Democratic Party.While she has served on the council for nine years already, Tucker feels there is still more work to do. If Gilroy voters re-elect her on Nov. 8, she says she will focus her next term on incentivizing business downtown by reviewing the development impact fees and creating a temporary pilot program for the reduction of impact fees specific to downtown; continuing to keep a balanced budget while still meeting the needs of Gilroy citizens; and finding a way to make a permanent arts center become a reality.Tucker voted against the 721-acre housing development proposed for north Gilroy when it was appealed to the council in December 2015 after being unanimously rejected by the Planning Commission, but that does not make her a fan of Measure H, the urban growth boundary initiative that would place city growth decisions in the hands of voters.“I have openly opposed Measure H, [and] there are many reasons,” she said. “It ties the city’s hands in regards to land use decisions for over 20 years and we don’t know the unintended consequences to our low-income community as far as rents going up in the future, due to low growth.”Passage of the measure also does not necessarily mean the downtown will benefit, she said.“There are no guarantees that it forces developers to build downtown,” she said. “They will do their market research and build whatever people are buying—it could be townhouses or condos or houses.”She added that there is already a process in place to stop sprawl—the state LAFCO agency.“I served on [the Santa Clara County] LAFCO [board] for three years and during that time attended two of the yearly LAFCO conferences so as to get a full understanding of the intention. I have a high regard for LAFCO’s mission and the staff,” Tucker said.She said she was not privy, however, to the lawsuit the agency filed against the city in order to keep the 721-acre housing proposal from going forward, citing issues with the project’s environmental review.“I was not included in any of the meetings when they decided to do the lawsuit, so I was very surprised. It was not needed since LAFCO’s authority allows them to reject any incomplete application.”But there were lessons to be learned, she said.“My main takeaway is based on data, and over the last 20 years LAFCO has only approved one project for Gilroy. I feel they take their position seriously and I don’t see any reason to think they will change. I doubt the next 20 years will be any different. Even the land included in Measure H will have to go through LAFCO, and I doubt it will get passed to be annexed.”    

Insider edition

Eligible Santa Clara County residents who have not registered to vote in the November 8, 2016 Presidential General Election can take advantage of special extended hours today to ensure that they will be able to cast a ballot. The Registrar of Voters’ Office will remain open until 8:00 p.m. today for those who wish to complete their voter registration forms. Today is the last day to register to vote.  Voters can also register online at www.sccvote.org. Online registration must be completed before midnight in order to meet the deadline. Alternatively, voters can sign and return paper registration forms by mail; forms that are postmarked today will be accepted. Paper registration forms are available at post offices, public libraries, fire stations, city halls, and most local government offices. “We hope that all eligible residents of Santa Clara County register to vote before today’s deadline, and then cast their ballot on or before Election Day. Turnout in the last presidential general election was about 80%. We would love to have an even higher voter turnout this November,” said Registrar of Voters Shannon Bushey.  Voters should complete a new registration form if they have moved, changed a name, or would like to change their political party preference. To register to vote in Santa Clara County, a voter must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old on or before Election Day, a Santa Clara County resident and not imprisoned or on parole for a felony. Voters who would like to check their registration status may do so at Check Your Registration Status. Voters may also request to vote by mail for this election at Request a Vote by Mail Ballot, or they may request to become permanent Vote by Mail voters at Permanent Vote by Mail. Postage is prepaid on all Vote by Mail ballots in Santa Clara County. For more information, contact the Registrar of Voters’ Office at 1-408-299-VOTE (8683) or toll-free at 1-866-430-VOTE (8683), or visit www.sccvote.org. 

If you want to get a long-range view of Gilroy, sit down for a chat with City Council candidate Paul Kloecker.

When it comes to people advocating for safety measures in their neighborhood, Gilroy City Council candidate Cat Tucker is very familiar with the concept, as it is what drove her toward local politics in the first place.

“One of the things we hear from the public all the time is that their voices are not being heard by their elected officials, but when you look at election results, a lot of the public are not participating and if you don’t let your elected officials know your concerns, they are left to make decisions based on their own instinct,” said City Council candidate Tom Fischer.A retired plumber and member of the city’s Planning Commission, Fischer was on the commission when the 721-acre, 4,000-home development north of Gilroy was brought forward for consideration. He heard a lot of voices then.“A lot of people see the growth and they don’t like it—so that’s one consideration. The other is you need growth to sustain a viable community.”While he was against the project that ultimately gave rise to Measure H, on the urban growth boundary initiative Fischer prefers to keep mum.“I have not taken a position on Measure H. I’m going to remain neutral throughout this campaign season.”Fischer, along with the rest of the Planning Commission, rejected the 721-acre mostly housing proposal last December before it was successfully appealed by the City Council along a split vote. The project was ultimately withdrawn.While he thought the ability to develop a large swath of land in one stroke was good for planning purposes, he had concerns. Mainly, he felt the environmental impact report was not complete and that the applicant could not offer a satisfactory development schedule.“And I think they circumvented the system,” Fischer said. “They were operating outside the normal bounds which is mainly why I voted against it.”He added: “I think that growth is a very personal issue for most people and this is a way for their voices to be heard. For me, I think it’s time for public officials to stay quiet. I want to know what the public wants; that is how I handled myself on the Planning Commission and that’s how I’ll serve on the City Council. I want public input, I want to know what they think. They are the ones that have to live with this stuff.”A member of the high speed rail committee, Fischer said the city needs to start planning in earnest for the state-mandated train. As for the new rail system going through downtown, Fischer said:“I like to look at the bigger picture and it really needs to be downtown. It’s where it has to be. In the overall scheme of things it will ultimately benefit downtown but it will be very disruptive while it’s being built and it’s our responsibility as civic leaders to determine the least disruptive way to get that train in here so it can benefit everybody.”Fischer believes Gilroy should take a more active role in addressing environmental issues. He thinks its great that the city has joined Silicon Valley Community Choice Energy, the regional cooperative that will purchase cleaner electricity on behalf of its commercial and residential customers to help decrease greenhouse gas emissions.He said the city should also join the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority.“We are the only city not in the Open Space Authority,” he said, “I don’t believe anyone has brought that up and if I’m on the council I will see why it is we are not participating. Environmental issues are very important and we need to look at them very seriously.”Concerning downtown revitalization, Fischer said a few other things need to get done first. “We need to get the high speed rail plan done, the general plan done, and then look at the Downtown Specific Plan and really evaluate it. Then you get feedback from not just the businesses downtown, but also the residents that live in the area.“He added: “We need to re-envision what the downtown looks like, and the tricky part is how to pay for it.”Fischer said that with street maintenance costs, a new fire station at Glen Loma that needs to be equipped and staffed, and unfunded liabilities for pensions, the city will probably not have the money needed to fund big improvements in the downtown district.“We really need a grassroots effort to put a bond—like the library bond—on the ballot to make specific improvements that are needed downtown. If there are specific things you want to accomplish, the public will get behind it.”