Guest View: Assembly must pass critical small business protections
When small businesses are protected in the State of California from unjust attacks, so too is the California economy. For decades, small business owners have been embroiled in litanies of legal battles that forces them to stare down the prospect of financial ruin. Why?...
Guest View: For housing, ‘status quo’ has got to go
Gilroy has made strides to plan and promote housing opportunities for our workforce that are typically more affordable. This is needed more now than ever before.
The State recently released new income guidelines: a Santa Clara County household of one whose income is $92,250 is...
Guest View, Carol Marques: Housing shortage or affordability problem?
At a recent city function, a guest speaker said Anderson Dam was built in 18 months but the retrofit would take 8-10 years. It was his next comment that resonated with me: “That’s just the way it is.” I sat there thinking, nothing is...
Guest View: Regulators want to spend billions to reduce a fraction of water usage
Hydrologists measure large amounts of water in acre-feet—an acre of water one-foot deep, or 326,000 gallons.
In an average year, 200 million acre-feet of water fall on California as rain or snow. The vast majority of it sinks into the ground or evaporates, but about...
Guest view: AB 1454 shows how to improve child literacy, efficiently and effectively
Every teacher in California wants their students to be able to read. But too often, we’re not given the tools to provide effective reading instruction.
While serving as an English language arts/English language development teacher on Special Assignment for Gilroy Unified School District, our Las...
Spoking My Mind: Bicycle, come what May
May. For the unenlightened, it’s the fifth month, a time between the seasons of “It’s too cold!” and “It’s too hot!”
To the enlightened, however, it’s our month! National Bike Month! Thirty-one days to celebrate our two-wheeled, pedal-powered pals! As in previous Mays, Cycle Guy...
Guest View: 2026 will be another busy year in Gilroy
With 2025 in the rear-view mirror and the 2025-26 legislative work plan already established, the Gilroy City Council will dive right into items that need to be completed in 2026. Once the new city council is seated after the Nov. 3, 2026 election, a...
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: Could carbon pricing help solve the climate crisis?
The summer of 2020 will always be remembered as the season of the largest, most destructive wildfires in the history of California. Our Golden State lost over 4 million acres that were ravaged by more than 8,200 fires. Thirty-one lives were lost, along with...
Guest view: Giving thanks on Thanksgiving
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...






















