Politics

With Election Day less than two months away, city officials are asking the community for support of the “Quality of Life” sales tax measure on the ballot. Mayor Don Gage and City Administrator Tom Haglund spoke at the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce's Government Relations Committee meeting Sept. 12 and answered questions from the public.

On the heels of a recent vote by the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce's Board of Directors to oppose the half-cent general-purpose sales tax measure, many business owners are expressing support of the decision.

City Council declared a single-story home on Cypress Court a public nuisance Aug. 4 due to mounting trash around the property, and soon, it will be cleaned up at the property owner’s expense. The council voted unanimously to solicit bids to clean up the refuse at 1221 Cypress Court at the Sept. 8 meeting.

Developers are footing the bill for a variety of local traffic improvements, including the recent installation of Gilroy's first roundabout and the addition of left-turn signals to some of city's busier intersections.

A five-story apartment complex and the tallest building in the Garlic Capital—proposed to be 58 feet tall—is coming to downtown as soon as summer of 2016. The 263-unit affordable housing complex, developed by Idaho-based multifamily housing group Pacific Companies, is scheduled for construction on the southwest corner of 10th and Alexander streets.

The Gilroy Chamber of Commerce's Board of Directors voted Tuesday night to oppose the half-cent general-purpose sales tax measure in a 9-1 vote, according to Chamber CEO and President Mark Turner. The City Council voted Aug. 4 to place the measure on the ballot.

A representative with the California High-Speed Rail Authority announced at the Aug. 26 Rotary Club meeting that the organization partnered with the City of Gilroy to plan for the Garlic Capital's very own station—preferably located downtown.

The City of Gilroy recently released its first quarter sales tax update for this fiscal year, demonstrating an 8 percent increase in cash receipts for the City and surpassing the average statewide gain of 3.7 percent. Growth was most pronounced in the new auto and miscellaneous vehicle sales sector with a 43.9 percent increase.

All five candidates running for City Council are scheduled to participate in a public forum on Oct. 4 at the Gilroy Public Library. Members of the public will have an opportunity to meet the candidates and ask them questions before the ballots are cast on Nov. 4—exactly one month after the event.

City officials plan on turning up the heat on owners of buildings deemed unfit to survive a high magnitude earthquake, especially those who have not complied with Gilroy's unreinforced masonry ordinance. At the Aug. 18 City Council meeting, Mayor Don Gage advocated for increasing fines on delinquent property owners.