Opinion

April is recognized as World Autism Month, and I write this as both a mother and an advocate. Like many parents, my early experiences with autism were overwhelming and, at times, isolating.  In our community, support can feel limited. Many autistic children are often defined by...

I’m overjoyed that Paul Reubens was honored in a way that showed his last life’s work to people who would be deeply impacted by it, at the Poppy Jasper International Film Festival.  The movie “The Crown with a Shadow & the Search for Self” has...

As your State Senator representing the 15th Senate District in the California State Legislature, I am grateful to serve such an involved, engaged and strong neighborhood as Gilroy. For years, I have been committed to enhancing affordability, transportation and education in this neighborhood.  It is...

To my council colleagues, city staff and the public: I am very excited to be a part of the many changes coming to Gilroy this year. Legislating policy in house often doesn’t require budget allocations, and many of the best practices are already open...

Recently, I read something on social media that deeply affected me, that someone locally lost their life due to domestic violence. It honestly hit me hard. It is heartbreaking to think that behind closed doors, someone was suffering, and it ended in such a tragic...

Every year around tax time, I come home from a long shift, still in scrubs, and sit down with my pay stubs, trying to make the numbers work. Like most people, I don't have fancy accountants or complicated investments—just a paycheck that gets taxed...

The following letter was sent to City of Gilroy officials on March 23, and shared with the Gilroy Dispatch.  Please accept these comments from the Gilroy Historical Society on the Gilroy Civic Center Master Plan and draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR). We have read and...

Congress is not working for the South Bay, the Central Coast or the Salinas Valley. Families in our region are working hard only to fall behind while the cost of housing, healthcare and everyday life keeps rising. Rather than offer real solutions, politicians are...

Once a week, something remarkable happens in homes and coffee shops across our city. People open the Gilroy Dispatch and find something no algorithm can replicate: the unfiltered story of their community, told with care, accuracy and local knowledge. I'm writing to you today...

Now here is a positive letter for a change. Our new mayor is showing leadership instead of being centered on himself like our last mayor. He is a man for the people. He cares about the community and that’s what leadership is all about. Mayor...