Politics

GILROY—A community group that rallied to halt the demolition of an old barn inside Christmas Hill Park has asked the city’s permission to enter the boarded-up structure to shore it up and prevent any further weather or animal-related damage.

GILROY--The Daughters of Charity Health System Board of Directors has selected BlueMountain Capital Management, a private investment company, to recapitalize its operations, including Saint Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy, the hospital system announced July 17.

GILROY—Peter Leroe-Muñoz, a Gilroy councilman, wants to simultaneously improve the quality of the state’s public education and cut regional crime rates. In an interview with the Dispatch July 18, Leroe-Muñoz, a Democrat, announced he’s running for California State Assembly in the November 2016 election.

GILROY—United Natural Foods, Inc., the $6 billion-strong natural foods distribution firm set to open in Gilroy within weeks with promises of upwards of 500 jobs will instead delay the start of business until February and lay off dozens of workers, some of whom began work today, the Dispatch has learned.

GILROY—A “game changer” of a court ruling in southern California is leading Gilroy and other cities to revise their tiered water pricing schedules, spelling out higher costs for residential users and shrinking bills for large commercial and industrial users.

GILROY—In a first-of-its-kind move, the city of Gilroy has filed criminal complaints against the owners of two downtown buildings—two of many in the city’s core—deemed structurally unfit to survive a high-magnitude earthquake, in an effort to clean up what officials declare is a public safety hazard.

GILROY—Two employees at City Hall tasked with helping run the Garlic City have received a 2 percent bump in pay, on the heels of similar raises being negotiated for some of the city’s other employees.

GILROY—Incumbents for the Gilroy City Council, newcomers and anyone who decides to run for local office can now spend double what has been allowed in past campaigns.

GILROY—The Gilroy business community’s leader is hoping for a compromise on the city’s law governing advertising signs and banners, in light of the recent denial of a request to open up communication lines with city staff.

Hundreds of Gilroy dogs prone to walkabouts and random episodes of AWOL are in for a treat when the city’s new dog kennel opens, possibly by year’s end.