Opinion

In the 2017 Point in Time homeless census count conducted on Jan. 24 and 25, 5,448 homeless individuals—including veterans, families with children, former foster youth, domestic violence victims, seniors, people with disabilities, and the working poor were identified living in encampments, cars, RVs, abandoned...

​​I’m from Tyler, Texas, and I attended Robert E. Lee High School, home of the Rebel football team. I was a proud Rebelette on our drill team. We had the largest Confederate flag west of the Mississippi. We had a Rebel Guard that dressed...

As we bid farewell to 2023, I, Fred M. Tovar, a proud member of the Gilroy City Council, would like to take a moment to extend profound gratitude to the unsung heroes who relentlessly contribute to the well-being and vitality of our community—the dedicated...

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...

Amidst current discussions and controversy about the merits and challenges of the new “Core Curriculum,” a less dramatic yet equally important issue is the trend away from teaching “cursive” in our schools. As a retired teacher and current voter, genealogist and sports fan, I think the loss of the ability to write (and therefore read) cursive is another step in the increasing “depersonalization” of our culture with potentially disastrous consequences. I was further reminded of this as I went to vote by mail, where, on the envelope, you are told emphatically to sign your name (not print it) for your vote to count.

When I was in fourth grade, I was so proud of the Mission I had constructed with popsicle sticks and glue! Now, however, many years later, I've been made aware of how the missions in California were used to exploit and subjugate indigenous peoples. Roadside...

It has been an incredible privilege to serve as your advocate and representative for the past 16 years—first as a member of the Gilroy Unified School District Board, and for the last eight years on the Gilroy City Council.  I have always approached this responsibility...