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Valley Water is committed to ensuring enough safe, clean water for families, homes, farms and businesses in Santa Clara County today and for future generations.  Our agency is updating the Water Supply Master Plan, which helps identify how to maintain a reliable, clean water supply...

My goal in taking on this project and partnering with Mary to create this book was to drive awareness and generate additional revenue for Operation Freedom Paws. I wanted to help Mary continue her mission and grow her inspiring non-profit organization.

When small businesses are protected in the State of California from unjust attacks, so too is the California economy. For decades, small business owners have been embroiled in litanies of legal battles that forces them to stare down the prospect of financial ruin. Why?...

In March 1870, the California state legislature approved an act allowing Gilroy to incorporate and become a full-fledged city. The Gilroy Advocate, our first newspaper, began publishing a weekly edition only a year earlier. The Dispatch, which came later, absorbed the Advocate in May...

On Nov. 12, my wife Lucy and I attended the most powerful and impactful panel discussion ever. The constant theme was the importance of continuing the fight and struggle for social justice, equal rights, dignity and respect for all. The venue was Wheeler Auditorium...

Every teacher in California wants their students to be able to read. But too often, we’re not given the tools to provide effective reading instruction.  While serving as an English language arts/English language development teacher on Special Assignment for Gilroy Unified School District, our Las...

After time with the criminal justice system in 2010, I experienced the job rejection that many like myself deal with upon re-entering the workforce. While I was more than qualified for job after job, as soon as they saw the box checked for a...

They tried to kill us. We won. Let’s eat. Jewish festivals often conjure up something along these lines. Purim, the Jewish festival that takes place on the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Adar—this year March 16-17—is no exception. In 357 BCE, Persia’s King Ahasuerus...

Hello Gilroy! What a rewarding experience these last seven years have been. Since elected in 2018, then again in 2020, I have been dedicated to improving Gilroy’s financial stability and building a foundation from which our city services and necessary infrastructure can excel.  Whether deteriorating...

The end of a semester is a stressed time for all our students. From tests to essays to presentations and projects, Gilroy students are being put through their paces.  My student interns who go to Gavilan College regale me with stories of all their end-of-semester...