Guest view: Honoring South County’s ‘unconventional hero’
I rise today to adjourn in the memory of Marty Cheek—a beautiful soul, the publisher of Morgan Hill and Gilroy Life, an arts and science advocate, a man who loved his community, and his community loved him.
Marty was born in Hollister and was a...
Mayor Marie Blankley: State of the City 2022
Editor’s note: The following is an excerpt from Mayor Marie Blankley’s State of the City address. She will deliver the full talk in person on June 4 at 9:30am in the Gilroy City Council Chambers.
It is my pleasure to bring to you Gilroy’s 2022...
Guest View, Connie Rogers: VTA housing proposal would overwhelm downtown
We are writing as a citizens’ group of Gilroy residents who are actively involved in Gilroy planning issues. Several of our members participated in both of the recent Zoom meetings with VTA staff and PlaceWorks regarding the transit-oriented development you are planning to build...
Guest View, Dion Bracco and Carol Marques: Addressing homelessness
There was an opinion piece in the March 19 Dispatch that led the reader to believe that the Gilroy City Council is ignoring a plan that could end homelessness. That is a misleading statement.
What the opinion leaves out is that the Gilroy City Council...
Guest View: Why recall Councilmember Armendariz?
Diverse communities throughout Gilroy have unified in support of the recall of Councilmember Rebeca Armendariz. She demonstrated extremely poor judgment when she participated and assisted in the planning of a large-scale party where there was underage drinking. At this party, there was a shooting...
Guest View, Fred Tovar: Stronger together
Dear members of the Gilroy community, I wanted to share with you a copy of the letter that was sent to the Santa Clara County Democratic Party in response to a resolution they presented recommending removal of their endorsement.
Dear Mr. Bill James and Santa...
Guest View: Counter hostility, bigotry with knowledge, compassion
In a powerful demonstration of unity and a commitment to education, more than 100 South County residents and local leaders, including City Councilmember Yvonne Martinez-Beltran, gathered at the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center Sept. 28 for a special program centered on the experiences...
Spoking My Mind: The most wonderful time of the gear
Hooray! We made it to another December! Covid appears to be dropping further and further behind, not unlike Cycle Guy on a group ride. Still, let’s all remember to stay vigilant, be wise, care for ourselves and others…and ride on!
According to the latest intel...
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, 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...






















