Guest View

On Oct. 11, Rebekah Children’s Services (RCS) and the Kneaded Culinary Academy hosted their fifth annual National Coming Out Day in Gilroy.  Guests were greeted by a wonderful rainbow balloon arch created by Laurem’s Cakes and were welcomed by a resource fair, family lawn games...

There’s an old adage that one must first acknowledge a problem exists before it can be addressed. It bears repeating because of a huge disagreement over the size of California’s state budget deficit. In December, the Legislature’s independent budget analyst said the state faces a...

A decade ago, California’s political apparatus finally recognized a yawning achievement gap in its public schools, separating poor and English-learner students from their more privileged classmates. While overall, California’s nearly 6 million K-12 students were not faring very well in state and federal tests of...

World War II changed the face of the world and all the people in it. In California, attitudes on how to view and treat mental illness were changing as well. Growing up in post-WWII California, we didn’t have homeless people per se. Of course there...

Gov. Gavin Newson’s announcement in the spring to radically reshape California’s mental health care was compelling for several reasons. One is personal: I have an adult son with schizophrenia, a condition that’s impacted our lives for almost 30 years and counting.  My son is 44...

July 28 used to be one of my favorite days of the year. On the Roman Catholic calendar, it is the feast day of a minor saint, Pope Saint Victor I, who was martyred by the Romans around the year 199 AD. Pope Victor...

Every generation has grown up being told that they, the youth, are the future. In American society, this means that the youth (theoretically) have the power to sway elections once they are of voting age.  Unfortunately, the youth vote has not always met its potential...

Health insurance—can’t live with it, can’t live without it… or can you? These days, it seems the price we pay for health insurance is more than what it’s worth.  When you tally up the monthly premiums, health care deductibles and copays, the average healthy American...

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...

As we bid farewell to 2023, I, Fred M. Tovar, a proud member of the Gilroy City Council, would like to take a moment to extend profound gratitude to the unsung heroes who relentlessly contribute to the well-being and vitality of our community—the dedicated...