The following organizations and individuals deserve either
CHEERS or JEERS this week:
CHEERS: For Gilroy Mayor Al Pinheiro who championed upping the
affordable housing requirement to 15 percent for developers. It’s a
reasonable compromise, Pinheiro says, in the face of skyrocketing
housing costs.
The following organizations and individuals deserve either CHEERS or JEERS this week:
CHEERS: For Gilroy Mayor Al Pinheiro who championed upping the affordable housing requirement to 15 percent for developers. It’s a reasonable compromise, Pinheiro says, in the face of skyrocketing housing costs. That’s true. It’s not a draconian requirement, and it’s certainly not the key to solving the housing crisis. It is a positive step to allow more people who work here to be able to afford a home. Now, Mayor Pinheiro should push a multi-faceted approach which includes residential development ordinance exemptions for downtown housing within Gilroy’s transit corridor.
CHEERS: For the adoption by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors of new guidelines for inclusion in the Williamson Act, the state law that gives owners of larger land parcels a significant tax break in exchange for a promise of non-development. The county has ignored Williamson Act exploitation for years, and this is the first step toward cleaning up a gargantuan mess that has left neighbors bearing unequal and unfair tax burdens.
CHEERS: For the hastily arranged audience with the governor’s staff to hear the argument for fixing the traffic mess at the intersection of Highways 152 and 156 known as the Don Pacheco Y. Sometimes, half the battle is just showing up, and our local officials did. Supervisor Don Gage, Gilroy Mayor Al Pinheiro, Morgan Hill Mayor Dennis Kennedy and California Highway Patrol Captain Bob Davies made this a priority and gave Gov. Schwarzenegger’s undersecretary of transportation an earful. Barry Sedlick heard compelling testimony from our leaders that will likely vault the project to the top of the state funding list.
CHEERS: For all the Gilroy Unified School District teachers who have worked hard this year giving their talents and energies to our children. It is not a thankless job. Every person can point to a teacher who has made a difference in his or her life. That’s priceless. Have a good summer.
