Opinion

Last month, I shared that 2025 would be my final year writing this column; after 25 years of Spoking My Mind, I felt it was time to hang up my helmet. (Let me clarify: I’ll stop bike writing, but never stop bike riding.) Thank...

Re: “Trump takes steps to overhaul CA water delivery,” Free Lance, Jan. 24  “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” To get this message, drive over Pacheco Pass anytime.  At the top is that beautiful San Luis Reservoir that used to exist as a vast valley...

The enjoyable part of serving as president/CEO of the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce this past year is working with our board of directors selection committee in choosing the people and businesses of the year. Our committee solicits feedback and nominations from the local business community...

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...

Distracted driving is a significant danger for drivers, and it can lead to serious accidents, injuries, and even fatalities. Four such accidents occurred nearby in the past month, killing seven people. The fatalities prompted police to emphasize a message to the public about driving...

Gilroy must continue to promote the development of more housing for all income levels while looking at creative policies and funding through our local control to make them more livable,accessible to transit, bikeable and walkable.  I support Gilroy's Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) program in single-family...

Thank you for the Dispatch interview of Zoe Lofgren. She deserves every bit of newsprint. I felt proud of her service on the Jan. 21, 2021 commission so when reading the following quote I wondered how Representative Lofgren would feel now: “I considered President-elect...

Happy New Gear! Welcome to 2025! January means new beginnings bicycle-wise. Many of you will start riding your new Christmas presents, the two of you getting to know each other. Many of you will begin looking to improve your two-wheeled talents, logging more rides and...

With Christmas decorations sometimes going up before Thanksgiving, and even Halloween, it may seem unnecessary to prolong Christmas. However, Catholics and many other Christian traditions can extend Christmas into the second week of January.   We do so because the overwhelming and joyful reality of the...

Recently, I celebrated a 70th birthday with a friend I’ve known for 65 years. Circumstances had her move to Florida from New York, after hurricane Sandy devastated our small beach town on Long Island.  It was sad for me to see how this move away...