Guest View: These bells don’t jingle
When we think of monuments unfit for our current era, we draw our minds to the Confederate statues. While controversial conversations surrounding these statues are not exclusive to the East Coast, California has been largely kept out of the picture. Yet, we have a...
Guest View: More police does not mean more safety
There was a lot of discourse in September about having police officers at high schools in the area. While there was talk from people like Councilmember Zach Hilton and District Attorney Candidate Sajid Khan about the lack of effectiveness of safety, there was a...
Guest view: Could carbon pricing help solve the climate crisis?
The summer of 2020 will always be remembered as the season of the largest, most destructive wildfires in the history of California. Our Golden State lost over 4 million acres that were ravaged by more than 8,200 fires. Thirty-one lives were lost, along with...
Guest View: Gilroy’s unique rural appeal is in jeopardy
What would make Gilroy an even better place to live? It’s not billboards, especially not huge electronic ones. But the City is considering changes in our ordinance which would allow them.
The Mitigated Negative Declaration should be denied because it claims that our environment won’t...
Guest View: Counter hostility, bigotry with knowledge, compassion
In a powerful demonstration of unity and a commitment to education, more than 100 South County residents and local leaders, including City Councilmember Yvonne Martinez-Beltran, gathered at the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center Sept. 28 for a special program centered on the experiences...
Mayor Marie Blankley: State of the City 2023
Hello Gilroy! I hope this information entices you to attend the 2023 State of the City address on April 1. There’s a lot going on and much to be proud of. I am continually honored to follow Roberta Hughan (Gilroy Mayor 1984-1992) as the...
Guest view: Gavilan College serves South Valley community
The Gavilan Joint Community College District extends from the Coyote Valley to the southern edge of San Benito County, and includes the communities of Morgan Hill, San Martin, Gilroy, Hollister, San Juan Bautista, Tres Pinos and Paicines, along with the surrounding rural areas. It...
Guest View, Beverly Kirk: Gift Shop has been eliminated
On May 28, there was an article in the Dispatch about possible changes for the Senior Center. The article indicated that these changes could hinder operations of the longtime gift shop or close it all together.
This is not just a possibility, it is indeed...
Guest View, Marie Blankley: VTA’s 10-year outlook still threatens local streets and roads
By Marie Blankley
On Jan. 7, Valley Transportation Authority staff presented the VTA Board with a revised Draft 10-year Vision that allocates 2016 Measure B revenue among the categories of projects to be funded by Measure B over the next 10 years. Among these projects...
Guest View, Carol Marques: Spend energy on solutions, not negativity
By Carol Marques
I was disappointed last week when I read a letter to the editor in the Dispatch which reinforced the negativity that is trending right now. The writer’s perceptions of the City of Gilroy lack the facts. Much of what he is concerned...



















