Guest View

There was an opinion piece in the March 19 Dispatch that led the reader to believe that the Gilroy City Council is ignoring a plan that could end homelessness. That is a misleading statement. What the opinion leaves out is that the Gilroy City Council...

When federal government and state governments passed laws governing wages, working hours and other workplace conditions prior to World War II, agricultural labor was exempted. Many years later, after the 40-hour work week became standard, California’s Industrial Welfare Commission decreed that farmworkers could work up...

For our tribe, the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, Betabel is much, much more than a vacant lot conveniently located by a Highway 101 offramp. Positioned at the confluence of the San Benito and Pajaro Rivers, where earthquake faults also meet, the Betabel area is a place of power where, for countless generations, our people came together for healing and renewal.

Like many parents across America, I watched the struggles of students, parents and teachers as the Covid-19 lockdown forced schools to adapt and find new ways of keeping their students engaged and on track. I saw the results of that evolution as well: social...

A Happy New Gear to you! May 2023 add mile after mile of wonderful new bicycle adventures! Three items for you as we kick it off: 1. Is “A New Me in ’23” one of your resolutions? Weight loss, more cycling, new distance goals: whatever...

May. For the unenlightened, it’s the fifth month, a time between the seasons of “It’s too cold!” and “It’s too hot!”  To the enlightened, however, it’s our month! National Bike Month! Thirty-one days to celebrate our two-wheeled, pedal-powered pals! As in previous Mays, Cycle Guy...

Dear members of the Gilroy community, I wanted to share with you a copy of the letter that was sent to the Santa Clara County Democratic Party in response to a resolution they presented recommending removal of their endorsement. Dear Mr. Bill James and Santa...

If Bay Area housing stakeholders are to ever address factors that have led to construction delays and the rise in costs for constructing desperately needed housing, we must delve deeper into how a well-intentioned law has inadvertently led to difficulty in producing sufficient housing....

With 2025 in the rear-view mirror and the 2025-26 legislative work plan already established, the Gilroy City Council will dive right into items that need to be completed in 2026. Once the new city council is seated after the Nov. 3, 2026 election, a...

2023 is in the rear-view mirror and with the 2023-2024 legislative work plan already established, the Gilroy City Council will dive right into many items that need to be completed in 2024.  Once the new City Council is seated after the Nov. 5, 2024 election,...