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And just like that, it’s 2023! Halfway through my first mayoral term, it is my pleasure to share with you all that we’ve accomplished despite the setbacks of Covid, and what we have to look forward to.  In 2022 we began a five-year street maintenance...

Late last month, the Federal Reserve announced the latest incremental raise in its key interest rate, pushing it to the highest level in 22 years, as it continues to battle what it calls persistent inflation. The increase, a quarter of 1%, renewed the debate among...

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...

Hello Gilroy! What a rewarding experience these last seven years have been. Since elected in 2018, then again in 2020, I have been dedicated to improving Gilroy’s financial stability and building a foundation from which our city services and necessary infrastructure can excel.  Whether deteriorating...

In the foothills of Midian, a shepherd watches over his flock. He is responsible for the well-being and safety of every sheep there. Suddenly, he notices a lamb wandering away from the flock. The shepherd gives chase and finally catches up with the sheep—when...

I write on behalf of my Gilroy City Council Member Office, in support of Valley Transportation Authority’s Transit Oriented Development in Gilroy and in response to a recent letter from Gilroy Growing Smarter (Gilroy Dispatch, May 21). 1. Downtown Gilroy is the urban core of...

Part 1 of this article, “Steps needed to create a thriving community,” which was published in the May 20 edition of the Gilroy Dispatch, covered the first five common characteristics of thriving communities. This final installment will discuss the remaining four steps and stress why...

Editor’s note: This is the first installment in a two-part series. Why are some communities unable to maintain their historic character and quality of life in the face of a rapidly changing world, or lose the features that once gave them distinction and appeal? How...

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...

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...