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The Environmental Impact Report for the San Martin Cordoba Center Islamic mosque project is underway, and interested parties are asked to submit comments on the “scope and content” of the study to county planners by Jan. 23.The EIR itself, being conducted by Santa Clara County as the lead agency, will not be complete for public review for several more months. Comments and questions currently sought by county staff relate to the EIR’s “Notice of Preparation,” which was posted Dec. 9, 2016.The South Valley Islamic Community, based in San Martin, applied for the project early last year. The project, proposed at a 16-acre undeveloped parcel near the intersection of Monterey Road and California Avenue, would consist of a two-story, 9,000-square-foot mosque; a two-story, 14,500-square-foot multipurpose building; a four-acre Islamic cemetery; a one-third-acre campground; and additional support and ancillary structures, according to the county’s NOP document.The Cordoba Center “is intended to provide a central religious and cultural center for the multi-ethnic Muslim population in Southern Santa Clara County,” the county’s notice states.The purpose of an EIR is to analyze all potential impacts of a project to its surrounding environment and community, according to county staff. These include potential impacts to groundwater, traffic, wildlife, air quality, noise and other categories. The EIR will also make suggestions on how to mitigate any potentially significant impacts, and consider alternatives to the project.There are about 400 members of the SVIC, according to the county’s notice. “Based on this estimate, maximum attendance at weekly religious and cultural events, such as Friday Prayers, to be held at the Cordoba Center is generally anticipated to be 300 individuals per event,” the NOP continues. Occasionally, for larger annual events such as the Eid holiday prayers and community picnics, attendance at the Cordoba Center could reach up to 500 individuals per event.Events and regularly scheduled activities would occur between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m., primarily on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The site would be open to SVIC members to worship at all times, the county’s notice reads.The Cordoba Center has generated ongoing skepticism from South County residents who fear the project will be significantly larger than typical existing commercial or religious uses in the rural, unincorporated town of San Martin.Next door to the Cordoba Center is proposed the Patel RV Park, also on an undeveloped parcel. This project would add a 124-stall RV park to the property. This project is also working its way through the county’s planning process, and a community meeting on the proposal is scheduled for 7 p.m. Jan. 6 at the South County Office building, 80 W. Highland Ave.Some San Martin residents are concerned that having the Cordoba Center and Patel RV Park operating simultaneously right next to each other will impact the area more than the roads and infrastructure can handle.County staff have said the EIR and planning reviews of these projects will determine if that is the case, and recommend solutions to the impacts if necessary.Comments on the Cordoba Center NOP must be submitted to the county by 5 p.m. Jan. 23. Comments can be sent, emailed or telephoned to County of Santa Clara County Department of Planning and Development, Attention: Jim Reilly, County Government Center, 70 West Hedding Street, San Jose, CA 95110; phone at (408) 299-5799; or email [email protected].

Faustino Bermudez passed away on Saturday April 14, 2012 at the age 84. He is survived by his wife Alicia Chavez, daughters Lidia Ramos, Carmela Hernandez, Alicia Reyes; sons Rogelio, Nicanor, Faustino Jr., Pedro, Luciano, Ramon, 30 grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren.

A Santa Clara County Superior Court judge ruled that the grand jury transcript in the indictment of Antolin Garcia Torres shall be unsealed at a June 27 hearing at the Hall of Justice in San Jose. The decision, if upheld following a possible appeal, will for the first time allow the disclosure of the details of at least some of the evidence that investigators say links Garcia Torres, 22 of Morgan Hill, to the kidnapping and murder of Sierra LaMar. The judge’s ruling was stayed until July 11 in order to give Garcia Torres and his defense team a chance to appeal and keep the records sealed, according to Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney David Boyd. Garcia Torres has been held without bail Santa Clara County Jail for more than two years awaiting trial on charges that he kidnapped and murdered Sierra, who disappeared from her north Morgan Hill home when she was 15 years old March 16, 2012. The criminal grand jury indicted Garcia Torres on the charges in February, and he pleaded not guilty in a superior court hearing a few days later. In May, the D.A.’s office announced prosecutors will seek the death penalty for the suspect. The motion to unseal the nearly 2,000-page transcript was filed by the San Joe Mercury News shortly after the grand jury indicted Garcia Torres. The newspaper enlisted retired political science professor Edward J. Bronson of San Jose State University to conduct an analysis of past publicity of the case since the day Sierra disappeared. The purpose of this analysis was to demonstrate that releasing information from the grand jury files would not negatively impact the defendant’s right to a fair trial, as Garcia Torres’ attorneys have argued. A previous court ruling in the case has upheld the defendant’s desire to keep the grand jury files secret until now. Boyd declined to comment further on the June 27 ruling, and he did not argue against or in support of unsealing the grand jury documents. Garcia Torres’ attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether or not they plan to appeal the decision. So far, Santa Clara County Sheriff’s investigators have released little information about the evidence they have which allegedly connects Garcia Torres to Sierra and her disappearance. Investigators have said in the initial days of the search, they found Sierra’s cell phone and bag containing some of her belongings in different areas on the side of the roads near her home. Sheriff Laurie Smith also told reporters after Garcia Torres’ arrest that they found the suspect’s DNA on Sierra’s belongings, and Sierra’s DNA in Garcia Torres’ red Volkswagen. Investigators have not specified what kind of DNA they found. Authorities think Sierra, a sophomore at Sobrato High School at the time, disappeared while walking to her school bus stop near the intersection of Palm and Dougherty avenues March 16, 2012. Although neither her remains nor any evidence of her whereabouts have been located, investigators think she is dead. Volunteers continue to search for Sierra every Saturday morning. The volunteer searchers meet at 9 a.m. Saturdays at the former site of Central High School, at 17960 Monterey Road. 

The woman whose desk is next to mine spends hours on Facebook

Ceremonies commemorating Veterans Day will take place Thursday

There are times in each of our lives when we wonder, “Have I missed what God has for me? Is it too late for me?” Looking back on opportunities missed (and let’s face it—we all have them) it is easy to find ourselves in...