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In Gilroy, we have many examples of properties where we used to not require vehicle parking many decades ago, before a majority of zoning codes have been adopted that require more land to be developed for parking. With the recent implementation of Vehicles Mile...

Where do you spend most of your time...in fear or faith? You have a “natural” faith of things: awakening each morning knowing the sun will shine or putting your foot on the brake trusting the car will stop. You have faith when you board...

In June the City Council approved our financial budget for fiscal years 2024 and 2025. For the next two years this budget drives the City’s spending and funding allocations within the limits of our revenue sources. As your mayor and a CPA by profession,...

The governor just released his revised spending plan for the California budget, and while he did not admit that we are headed towards a recession, he did acknowledge the state faces economic uncertainty.  His assessment of the state’s growing fiscal challenges brings a greater focus...

We are the members of Zach Hilton’s Student City Council Internship Program. We represent different genders, cultures and backgrounds. We are the first generation. Most importantly, we represent a demographic of the crippingly underserved.  We have come to let our written words lay bare, so...

Summer is my favorite season. Everything feels rich and lush. The days are long and the sunshine warms my soul. I see the beauty of so many flowers with vibrant colors. The sky seems a little bluer to me. Everywhere around me I am...

Living in the Bay Area for any period of time, the discourse around the housing market is a hot button topic of conversation, mostly because it costs more than a car to live in a car-sized apartment every month. With the explosion of wealth...

The enjoyable part of serving as president/CEO of the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce this past year is working with our board of directors selection committee in choosing the people and businesses of the year. Our committee solicits feedback and nominations from the local business community...

Recently, the attorney general’s office completed paperwork for an initiative that, if qualified for the 2024 ballot and approved by voters, would require California’s nearly 6 million public school students to take a course in personal finance. The proposal, by an organization called Californians for...

Editor’s note: The following is an excerpt from Mayor Marie Blankley’s State of the City address. She will deliver the full talk in person on June 4 at 9:30am in the Gilroy City Council Chambers. It is my pleasure to bring to you Gilroy’s 2022...