Guest View: Are we invisible?
We are people of all genders, of Ohlone, Black, Filipino, Portuguese, Mexican/Chicano, Chinese and Japanese heritage. We have grown prunes, sugar beets, tobacco, apricots, tomatoes, chili peppers, onion, corn, cucumbers, raspberries, grapes, cherries, and run dairy farms. In 2020, 43 different languages were spoken...
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...
Facts wrong and perspective skewed in Israeli-Palestinian column
The timing of Marty Cheek's column published in The Dispatch on
Guest View, Marie Blankley: Considering the future of the transit center
With my support, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority held two community meetings in Gilroy to introduce the possibility of and receive feedback on an affordable housing project at the Gilroy Transit Center. However, the project described in their request for approval to authorize...
Religion: Praying for the dead
July 28 used to be one of my favorite days of the year. On the Roman Catholic calendar, it is the feast day of a minor saint, Pope Saint Victor I, who was martyred by the Romans around the year 199 AD. Pope Victor...
Guest View, Mark Turner: Searching for answers in the fight against homelessness
In California’s fight against homelessness, the Governor just announced a $12 billion plan to end homelessness in five years. Combine that with Santa Clara County’s 5-Year Plan to End Homelessness and one might think we are making progress. But it seems the more money...
Organizations host Coming Out Day event
On Oct. 11, Rebekah Children’s Services (RCS) and the Kneaded Culinary Academy hosted their fifth annual National Coming Out Day in Gilroy.
Guests were greeted by a wonderful rainbow balloon arch created by Laurem’s Cakes and were welcomed by a resource fair, family lawn games...
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...
Spoking My Mind: Three cheers and the Red, White and Blue
I recently pedaled past what used to be Gilroy’s Sunshine Bicycles. Instead of all those shiny new bikes in the windows, all I saw was a lonely, little “For Rent” sign. Truly the end of an era.
Shifting gears from sad to happy…
A super Cycle...
Mayor’s Update: On the Housing Element
As a lifelong resident of Gilroy (since 1964!) whose family comes from farming throughout Santa Clara County, I’ve lived through the change of our once prevalent orchards to today’s Silicon Valley. As Silicon Valley developed and job opportunities soared, so did the cry for...




















