News

After a six-year wait, one of most successful programs at Gavilan Community College hosted grand opening ceremonies Tuesday for its new home at the San Martin Airport.

Drivers are behaving so badly in Gilroy’s gated Eagle Ridge community that residents say they are afraid for their lives. People speed, blow stop signs and have no respect for traffic laws, they said.

Farmworkers praised the signing of a new law that pays them the same wages as other industries, but Gilroy’s biggest agricultural company said it could be a disaster for the workers.

It’s been three years since the board of directors of California’s 113 community colleges enacted its “if we don’t build it they won’t come” policy, and the results are plain depressing.In an effort to save money, the directors decided to prohibit students from repeating classes they’ve already taken, which to a bean counter might sound like a great way to cut expenses, but to someone who believes that the community should have access to community colleges, it’s plain stupid.Known as the “yoga mom’s regulation,” board members thought that too many community members were taking physical education, yoga and arts courses for $100 a semester, when they should be paying that each week to take courses in the private sector.So, cut they did and some 200,000 students who went to the schools for lifelong education dropped out. In the words of California Community Colleges Board of Governors President Scott Himelstein:“Budget cuts have forced us to ration education, and we are currently turning away hundreds of thousands of students from our campuses that want to pursue a degree, transfer to a four-year university or get job training so they can get back into the workforce or advance in their current career. It doesn’t make sense for us to allow students to take the same physical education course four times on the taxpayer’s dime while we are closing our doors on those looking for a degree or seeking job skills.”The problem is having to “ration education” at colleges that are supposed to serve the whole community.Himelstein says the taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for people repeating courses, but the taxpayers are the same people who want to repeat the courses and continue learning for life and refining their skills, whether they are in music, arts, writing or yoga. They are already paying for them, often generously, by passing big ticket bonds to keep the education flowing.Attendance at Gavilan College has dropped since the cutbacks from a high of 9,064 in 2009 to 6,152 in the current semester. Some of the cuts include all of the non-credit courses for seniors, which were once the definition of a diverse college serving the entire community.And students at all of the schools aren’t happy with the limits. The public college system was one of the greatest things about California and now officials are letting it go to seed.Be warned: voters in some communities are starting to rebel. Santa Cruz taxpayers, who usually approve every bond measure the community district asks for, turned down a $310 million measure to improve old buildings at Cabrillo College. Who can blame them? Why add more to your tax bill when the school has closed its doors to you? You can use the money on private classes, as the state community college board suggests.We see this as the beginning of the end of one of the greatest educational systems in the world, unless voters get involved and urge their local districts to restore the lifelong learning opportunities that they had.The academic senate at Victor Valley College passed a resolution asking the state to return to the way it was, claiming that lack of repeatability “severely limits” the ability of students of visual and performing arts build the portfolios they need to transfer.The limits were put in place when schools were turning away students, but that isn’t the case now, they said. They are asking the state to restore programs that contribute to a skilled progressive workforce, “fostering a creative, innovative citizenry, capable of critical thought; promoting community, vision, health and lifelong learning; nourishing a diverse, multi-generational context in which all Californians can learn and grow.”The economy has improved since the dire times of the Great Recession. It’s time to stop the severe austerity and make our community colleges great again.

The Gilroy Rotary this week kicked off Hispanic Heritage month, which runs from Sept. 15-Oct. 16 and celebrates the great diversity of our town.

It was the subject of closed-session chatter this week by the Gilroy City Council and of private meetings before that, so the idea of bringing a world-class water park resort and conference center to town is alive and well.And while traffic and other concerns have been raised since the notion was first reported in August, it so far has not become a contentious issue in the mayoral race.Neither Mayor Perry Woodward nor challenger Councilman Roland Velasco oppose the idea.Both say they want it studied more, to ensure Gilroy’s interests come first, and that citizens’ voices are heard as preliminary discussions move forward with Great Wolf Resorts.The Madison, Wisconsin-based firm is billed as owning the largest chain of indoor water parks in the world. It recently opened one in Garden Grove, California.“I am cautiously optimistic Great Wolf Lodge will be a benefit to the city,” Velasco said Tuesday.“Everything I hear is positive,” Woodward said. “It could be a very nice, complementary use of 30 acres of public land that right now is being grossly underutilized.”Woodward was referring to vacant, mostly weed-choked land and empty, unkempt buildings unseen by visitors on the east side of Gilroy Gardens Family Park, the city-owned botanical theme park on Hecker Pass Highway.That’s where Great Wolf has suggested it might want to build an indoor water park, a 500- to 600-room hotel and a conference and banquet center.Nothing was reported out of Monday’s closed-door city council session where the topic was on the agenda, which means no action was taken on the matter.But city staffers from the planning department and one or more elected officials have met at least five times with company representatives, including the firm’s San Francisco-based attorney, according to Woodward, who has attended meetings.He and his family stayed at the Garden Grove location and had a great time, according to the mayor.“There is still a lot of fact-finding to be done, we are talking in very broad terms how this might work,” Woodward said of the meetings to date.Both he and Velasco said the proposal could be a real win-win if it makes good business sense for Great Wolf, is beneficial to the city and residents’ concerns can be addressed satisfactorily.“I know the Gilroy Gardens board of directors feels like this could potentially be a compatible use for that land, but again, they have to make sure whatever we put there isn’t going to impact their finances negatively,” the mayor said.Woodward also is aware of the sensitivities surrounding the theme park’s finances and suggested Great Wolf could play a sort of rescue role for Gilroy Gardens, which is faced with increased operating costs.The city still is paying off the price of buying the park from its former owners for $12 million, he said. When bonds used to fund the park’s construction were not repaid on time, Woodward said it sort of “forced” a change of ownership.“Gilroy Gardens will need 30 percent more attendance to stay afloat because of increased costs largely associated with the increase in minimum wage,” he said. “This [Great Wolf idea] is in some ways a wonderful opportunity if we can do this in a way that is complementary and drives more visits to Gilroy Gardens.”Great Wolf, he added, markets to people who live within a six-hour drive of their resorts, which could open the door to “an untapped pool of people who could be using Gilroy Gardens.”So far there has been at least one area in which the city’s and Great Wolf’s intentions differ, according to Woodward.“They are interested in a land purchase, I am far more interested in some type of long-term lease where the city keeps ownership and control of that area,” he said.On this point the mayoral candidates appear to be on the same page. Velasco said, “I don’t think there’s any intention on the city’s part to sell the land.”Gilroy City Administrator Gabe Gonzalez has also been involved in all talks to date with Great Wolf’s representatives. Gilroy's not interested in selling land at its theme park, he said.“We consider Gilroy Gardens an asset of the city, and for us, in order to maintain land use control, we would be more willing to do a long term lease than selling,” he said.Nor is anything likely to happen quickly, he suggested.“If you look at the type of project and what is proposed, it does not happen overnight, there’s a lot of lengthy discussion to come,” he said.Woodward expects discussions to continue and said that if all goes well they will result in a written agreement on what needs to happen for detailed planning to begin.

If you’ve never ridden a unicycle, you can now add it to your bucket list. Jackie Lea Shelley, a Gilroy artist specializing in portraiture, developed the 100 Unicycles Project to raise money for suicide prevention.

In my last column, I focused on exercises that help prevent leg injuries. In this week’s edition, I’ll be focusing on exercises to build strong shoulders—joints that are easily susceptible to injuries because they take immense pressure and a lot of pounding with most workout programs. Before engaging in some shoulder-strengthening exercises, do a simple warm-up of shoulder rolls.

From operatic solos to singing soufflés, Rebecka Evans of Danville knows what it’s like to be in the limelight. Evans wooed the crowds and the judges on July 30 when she won top marks in the Gilroy Garlic Festival’s Great Garlic Cook-Off challenge.Evans, 56, competed against seven other finalists from all over the country to win first place and a $5,000 prize with her creation. Now, garlic lovers can try Evans’ recipe at home.Garlic Goat Cheese Bacon Soufflé with Creamy Garlic Mustard Sauceby Rebecka EvansDecadent goat cheese soufflés served with creamy garlic mustard sauce and blistered garlic grape tomatoes are a satisfying and delicious garlic-infused meal.Prep Time: 25 minutesCook Time: 25 minutesTotal Time: 50 minutesServes: 6Ingredients:6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided, plus more for buttering ramekins¼ cup all-purpose flour1⅓ cups whole milk3 ounces mild fresh goat cheese3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese1½ tablespoon thyme, finely chopped1 tablespoon chives, snippedSalt and freshly ground white pepper¼ cup bread crumbs (for dusting ramekins)4 large eggs, separatedBoiling water4 heads garlic (about 35 cloves), peeled and separated1 tablespoon olive oil½ pound bacon, drippings reserved½ cup heavy cream1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard2 tablespoons Bourbon (optional)1 tablespoon honeyOne 8-ounce package red and yellow grape tomatoesSalt and white pepper to taste1 bunch Mache or baby greensSix ½-cup ramekins and a large shallow roasting panDirectionsPreheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter six ½-cup ramekins, dust buttered ramekins with bread crumbs, removing any excess by gently tipping upside down, and set them in a large roasting pan.Make garlic paste: To a small sauce pan, add about 30 cloves garlic and about 1 tablespoon water. Cook over medium high heat until all water is absorbed, stirring occasionally. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and continue to cook until garlic is caramelized/roasted. Transfer garlic to a food processor. Add ½ tablespoon chopped thyme and a pinch of salt. Process until very smooth. Makes about 4 tablespoons of paste. Set aside until ready to use.Chop bacon and fry until crisp. Remove bacon from grease and set aside. Turn off the heat and keep pan with reserved bacon grease. Cool bacon slightly and chop fine. Set aside until ready to use.Thinly slice 4 garlic cloves and set aside until ready to fry. Mince 2 remaining garlic cloves. Set aside until ready to make blistered tomatoes.Soufflés: Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook over moderate heat until lightly golden, 1-2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk and simmer over low heat, whisking constantly, until the white sauce is thick and has lost its floury taste, about 4 minutes. Mixture will be thick and creamy.Stir in the goat cheese, Parmesan, chives, thyme, 2 tablespoons garlic paste and season generously with salt and pepper. Transfer the sauce to a large bowl and let cool slightly. Whisk in the egg yolks one at a time.In another bowl, beat the egg whites at medium speed until firm peaks form. Stir ¼ of the egg whites into the white sauce to lighten it, then fold in the remaining whites until no streaks remain. Add about ½ teaspoon crumbled bacon to the bottom of each prepared ramekin. Pour the soufflé mixture into the ramekins, filling them almost to the top.Pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until golden and firm. Remove the soufflés from the roasting pan using tongs.