JEERS: For the continued lack of cooperation and concerted
effort between the City of Gilroy and the Gilroy Unified School
District to ensure our community has outstanding school facilities
to go along with large-scale housing developments.
The following organizations and individuals deserve either CHEERS or JEERS this week:
JEERS: For the continued lack of cooperation and concerted effort between the City of Gilroy and the Gilroy Unified School District to ensure our community has outstanding school facilities to go along with large-scale housing developments. It’s not enough for the city to take the monkey’s stand – hear no evil, see no evil, do no evil – while the school district struggles with a totally inadequate funding mechanism for new school facilities provided by the state of California. If the city’s hands “are tied” – and that’s the end of it, then we should halt all residential building – or forbid new residents who have children from buying a home in Gilroy.
CHEERS: For the annual Holiday Decorating Contest. If you’ve put a lot of work into decorating your home, and you’d like to share the good cheer, call Alan Ladd here at the Dispatch – 842-1503 – or fill out the entry form in the paper and send it in. We’ll publish a map so families can find the dazzling spots, and there are cash prizes for the best homes.
CHEERS: For the Gilroy Police Department’s arrest rate which is significantly higher than the rates in surrounding communities like Watsonville and Salinas. Our officers are doing a great job keeping criminals – and former criminals who are on probation – in check.
CHEERS: For Dottie Stewart, the generous woman who is donating a kidney to Gilroy’s beloved entertainer, Donald “Elvis” Prieto. That’s a gift of great magnitude. Donations for the cost and recovery for Prieto can be made to South Valley National Bank account #100351931. That would be a nice Christmas gift, too.
CHEERS: For this year’s wonderful downtown Christmas tree lighting celebration. It’s great to see so many people downtown. That’s truly the soul for our community, and with significant improvement plans continuing to roll in, the area is clearly undergoing a metamorphosis that will make it a vibrant place in the not-too-distant future.
CHEERS: For quarterback Jeff Garcia, who led the Philadelphia Eagles to victory in front of a national TV Monday Night Football audience. The former Gilroy High and Gavilan College QB just does not quit. It’s great to see him back in the saddle despite the tough years in between his glory as a 49er and this latest opportunity with the Eagles. True grit is true Garcia.
CHEERS: For anyone who has plucked a gift tag from a giving tree, dropped off a turkey or a ham at St. Joseph’s Family Center, bought an extra bag of food for the CanTree program or given a toy. Bless you.
