Guest View, Marie Blankley: How money doesn’t go where voters thought it would
By Marie Blankley
Measure B was passed in 2016 on the promise that it would provide an estimated $1.2 billion for the improvement of local streets and roads in all of the 15 cities of Santa Clara County. Elected officials from all cities in our...
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: Valley Water makes progress at Anderson Dam
It has been just over two years since Valley Water broke ground at Anderson Dam with the promise to protect the public and secure Santa Clara County’s water supply. Since then, our agency has made tremendous progress on this vital public safety and water...
Guest View: Period Project tackles menstruation stigma
Period poverty is defined as the struggle those who have a menstrual cycle face while trying to afford menstrual products. Despite not being able to control a menstrual cycle, those who have one are still left to purchase products that some cannot afford. I...
Guest view: Honoring South County’s ‘unconventional hero’
I rise today to adjourn in the memory of Marty Cheek—a beautiful soul, the publisher of Morgan Hill and Gilroy Life, an arts and science advocate, a man who loved his community, and his community loved him.
Marty was born in Hollister and was a...
From My Perspective: Fear, faith and fire
Where do you spend most of your time...in fear or faith? You have a “natural” faith of things: awakening each morning knowing the sun will shine or putting your foot on the brake trusting the car will stop. You have faith when you board...
SVCT’s ‘Percy Jackson Musical’ features youth cast and crew
South Valley Civic Theatre’s upcoming production, “The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical,” is making its way to the stage Feb. 23 at the Morgan Hill Community Playhouse.
The show is based on the popular book “The Lightning Thief” by author Rick Riordan, which was...
Guest View: Public safety and second chances go hand in hand
Public safety and providing opportunities for individuals leaving jail or prison can be perceived as opposing objectives. But the County of Santa Clara is building relationships between law enforcement and reentry services to create environments where residents involved with the justice system can heal...
Guest view: Public transit is cleaner, faster
Growing up in San Jose, public transportation was not as widespread and commonly used as other cities. While many use and rely on the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), this system is not as efficient or as popular as it should be.
The main choice of...
Guest View, Dion Bracco and Carol Marques: Addressing homelessness
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...





















