Guest View

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,...

The enjoyable part of serving as president/CEO of the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce this past year is working with our board of directors selection committee in choosing the people and businesses of the year. Our committee solicits feedback and nominations from the local business community...

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...

By Mark Turner To Chief Scot Smithee, thank you for a job well done. I can’t imagine it’s an easy job being a cop. There are a lot of challenges that go along with being a member of law enforcement, especially these days. While the cop...

As we draw nearer to Thanksgiving, I am reminded of this holiday’s origins and significance. There are some interesting and noteworthy parallels with today’s world, two years after Covid-19 began. While Thanksgiving has only been a national holiday since it was established in 1863 by...

We are the members of Zach Hilton’s Student City Council Internship Program. We represent different genders, cultures and backgrounds. We are the first generation. Most importantly, we represent a demographic of the crippingly underserved.  We have come to let our written words lay bare, so...

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...

A few weeks ago, my family and I joined the Fourth of July celebration organized by the Freedom Fest organization. As we enjoyed the parade and the beautiful weather, we met many community members and friends, all sharing in this beautiful, nearly 150-year-old Morgan...

2023 is in the rear-view mirror and with the 2023-2024 legislative work plan already established, the Gilroy City Council will dive right into many items that need to be completed in 2024.  Once the new City Council is seated after the Nov. 5, 2024 election,...