Guest View

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...

Driving around Gilroy, I still see remnants of Valentine’s Day. Glittery hearts have replaced Christmas decorations, colors of red and pink delight neighborhoods and banners blow in the wind saying “I love you more” or “Love you to the moon and back.” Think about that...

With our nation’s democracy facing existential threats, California’s duty to protect and empower every eligible voter in the state has never been more urgent. Although we often lead the nation with innovative laws designed to defend voting rights, thousands of eligible voters continue to...

You may hear there was a lot of conflict at the Sept. 20 City Council meeting, but I suggest a different perspective. The focus was on a time capsule, part of the Covid-postponed celebration of Gilroy’s 150th anniversary as an incorporated city. The committee that...

For the past four years I have participated at some level with California State legislative bills, first as an advocate and now as an elected official. I have spent hours listening, reading legislative files, all while writing letters of support and testifying myself. That...

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...

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...

A person that lives in Gilroy and works in San Jose has to invest around $9,282 and 480 hours a year just to be able to go to work. Santa Clara County could reduce cost and time of travel by optimizing the current train...

Every generation has grown up being told that they, the youth, are the future. In American society, this means that the youth (theoretically) have the power to sway elections once they are of voting age.  Unfortunately, the youth vote has not always met its potential...

I am writing as a parent of two middle schoolers in the Gilroy Unified School District. Like many families in our town, we embraced distance learning (DL) wholeheartedly in the beginning of the pandemic when there was very little information about the Covid-19 virus...