Letters

“If the police force in London stopped working for one day, the city would devolve into mayhem.” My dad told me this years ago, in a thick accent, when I was a teenager. I did not believe him. I thought to myself, “most people...

It is difficult for taxpayers to have a happy anything, Thanksgiving Day, or otherwise, when we are being forced to subsidize bankrupt boondoggle public sector transit with our gas taxes. Seniors like my 101-year-old Mom, who’s quarantined with Covid, cannot afford to pay for gas,...

The future of the Sargent Ranch site is officially open for discussion. While I am a big proponent of property rights, I do believe that in some situations, overriding concerns can place limitations on them.  I have attended seminars on “takings” at League of Cities...

Here is a letter that is long overdue. Do we really want to move the Garlic Festival to Gilroy Gardens? Really, and what about all the charities that are important to the city, and the room we need for a great festival of this...

The proliferation of electronic billboards has continued unabated. The billboard industry continues to claim that they have no effect on traffic accidents. Sorry, there are plenty of studies showing the opposite. The University of Alabama conducted a study in 2017 of drivers in both Alabama...

I agree with Gilroy City Councilmember Zach Hilton that regarding the long term, Gilroy should be included in planned passenger/commuter rail improvements and service by the Amtrak Capitol Corridor and Caltrain (Gilroy Dispatch Guest View, July 28).   In the short term, we currently have an...

Have you heard of a “dog whistle” in politics? It’s political shorthand for a phrase that may sound OK to some people, but which also communicates something more insidious—a covert appeal to some noxious set of views.  We just got a political flier from Dion...

As part of the First Street repaving project in Gilroy, Caltrans installed two signal lights at the northeast corner of Santa Teresa Boulevard and First Street. These two signal lights are for drivers turning right from First Street onto northbound Santa Teresa. Some drivers...

I attended last Friday’s forum for Gilroy City Council candidates and found many aspects to praise—the amazing Toni Bowles who has transformed the old Louis Hotel into The Neon Exchange, a community center; the very effective organization of the program and its excellent moderators;...

Art saves lives. Healthy communities have a healthy art scene. From Chicago to Boston to Washington, D.C., to Laguna Beach to San Luis Obispo and now to Gilroy, I have seen and participated in “the magic of art.” Gilroy is a canvas just waiting for more...