Zach Hilton: How our electricity provider benefits the community
What makes Gilroy strong is our community. With 59,520 people calling Gilroy home, our community is made up of families, neighbors, businesses, schools, service organizations, parks and more. However, there is one member of our community that may surprise you—our electricity provider.
Silicon Valley Clean...
Guest View: Celebrating the return of a reimagined Garlic FestivalÂ
This weekend marks the return of a reimagined Garlic Festival—a beloved tradition that, for more than 40 years, has played a vital role in supporting our local community. Through the tireless work of volunteers and the Gilroy Garlic Festival Association (GGFA), the event has...
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: High-speed rail’s salvation may lie in Gilroy
Since Gov. Gavin Newsom’s first State of the State address six years ago, California has stopped pursuing a high-speed rail system that actually connects the Bay Area to Southern California, as was promised to voters in 2008. And in that void, politicians, pundits and...
Guest View: Democrats keep spending money but fail to make sure it’s helping
Steve Glazer is a former political consultant who served as mayor of Orinda before being elected to the state Senate in a 2015 special election.
Glazer is a Democrat who usually votes with others in the party’s overwhelming Senate majority. However, Glazer has a rare...
Guest View: Open up schools to parents
I am very concerned by the Gilroy Unified School District’s decision to bar parents from the elementary campuses before and after school. This decision greatly diminishes the opportunity to build relationships within the school and is detrimental to building a positive school community. Good...
Mayor Marie Blankley: State of the City 2021
Thank you for joining me for Gilroy’s 2021 State of the City address, and as we celebrate Gilroy’s 150th anniversary year.
I’m Mayor Marie Blankley, and I’m honored to be giving my first State of the City, albeit during an historic pandemic.
Vaccinations are in progress,...
Preserving the Past: Don Ygnacio Ortega
It began in the little mining camp of Real de Santa Ana, Baja California. Jose Francisco Ortega had already completed 10 years in the king's army and was in 1768 the Superintendent of Osio's gold and silver mine at Real de Santa Ana.
To secure...
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: How can we stop kids from abusing drugs?
School safety has been a hotly debated issue everywhere in America, as kids start to emerge from their homes to in-person education. While Gilroy is no exception, there seems to be a similar discussion around students from the view of drugs and drug safety,...





















