Politics

Local leaders and community members, some homeless or formerly homeless, appealed to city and county officials this week, pleading for a safe and legal place for Gilroy’s homeless to stay temporarily while they work on finding more permanent shelter.

Gilroy Mayor Don Gage is bullish about the new car business. He’s optimistic that if the city chips in for traffic improvements, new signs and beautification at and around the local auto mall, the city will get a bigger cut in sales tax revenue as the dealerships prosper from a boost in customers.

Two business owners and a representative from the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce appealed to the City Council, asking them to take another look at the city’s controversial sign ordinance—one that limits how long banners can be up and how much advertising can cover a business’ windows. In response to their concerns, the Council agreed to further explore some of the provisions.

The city of Gilroy is looking for volunteers to fill 25 open seats on 12 various boards, commissions and committees. The openings range from seats on the Planning Commission to the Arts and Culture Commission, and registered voters within city limits must fill seats.

Gilroy residents will need to fork over at least $50 to drink alcohol in local parks for the next three years, since City Council breathed new life into an ordinance that was set to expire Nov. 17.

Well before Daughters of Charity Health System executives announced the sale of all six of its hospitals, including Gilroy’s Saint Louise Regional Hospital, to for-profit Prime Healthcare Oct. 10, DCHS officials threatened that without the right buyer, the hospitals would shut down. As opposition to the sale mounts, mainly from labor groups and politicians, during a state-mandated review by the Attorney General’s Office, their tune hasn’t changed.

Proposed amendments circulating the halls of the Village Green senior living community have residents of the cottages talking, and some say they’re concerned the new rules—if approved Nov. 20—could restrict their ability to rent or sell in the future.

By early 2015, Gilroy officials hope the search for an in-house city attorney—a sea change from its position since the early 1990s of using the city’s contracted legal firm, San Jose-based Berliner Cohen—will have finished and an experienced attorney will fill the new role at City Hall.

Between 250 and 300 new homes will fill with residents each year in Gilroy over the next few years as a result of a rebound in development. That expected increase in residents already has Gilroy Unified School District officials planning for a brand new elementary school—and wondering how to pay for a new middle and high school further down the road.

Despite the injection of more than $35,000 in the coffers of the campaign in favor of Measure F—mainly from developers and car dealers—Gilroy voters spoke and the half-cent sales tax increase fell short by more than 550 votes, based on unofficial semi-final results from the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters.