Think we should get the Santa Clara Valley Water District to
announce their plans for a rate increase and mandatory water
conservation in November next year. That way we won’t have to wait
until February for the rain.
Think we should get the Santa Clara Valley Water District to announce their plans for a rate increase and mandatory water conservation in November next year. That way we won’t have to wait until February for the rain.
Raining rudeness at the Bowling Alley downtown Thursday at lunch. Love to have a steaming Japanese meal there on a cold day – tempura udon with Grace’s dressing on the salad, but I digress … a guy in his late 20s with his cell phone on speaker kept playing ring tones and punching numbers in the middle of the restaurant until a guy in his 70s, thankfully, told him to knock it off. That’s a good thing about being 70 – what’s the 20-year-old punk going to do, take a swing at you?
Swinging from the rafters with this bit of trivia. Do you know what the acronym ZIP, as in ZIP codes stands for? If you do, count yourself among the few that are in the knowledge zone, as in Zone Improvement Plan.
GMAC didn’t have any zone improvement plan for Don Malinoff’s car dealerships, it had – in my estimation – a closure plan. There are two levels to the closure of two car dealerships in a week. There’s the sad level which hurts Gilroy as a community, and the economic level that screams “this is not a thunderstorm, it’s a tornado.” The Malinoff family did a lot for Gilroy through the years helping with fundraising and donations. They will be missed.
Can’t miss it … Gilroy Golf course operator Don DeLorenzo looks like “Matt the Welder” a contestant on this season’s American Idol show. Not sure if Donny can sing, but I would bet he’s a better cook than crooner. Idol is one of those shows that you can watch with the whole family, so it’s become part of our winter ritual and Matt the Welder is my early favorite … maybe DeLo could give him some golf tips …
Jesper Bo Parnevik could have used one of those tips. Taking an enjoyable Valentine’s Day walk on Carmel Beach with my Jenny and the two fetching hounds we ran into Jesper, playing the ice-plant wedge shot from the bank at Pebble Beach, between fairway and miles of sand. Ran into Carson Daly and George Lopez, too, while we were at it, so we had a taste of the AT&T from a fabulous vantage point. Jesper Bo drove through the thick grass like a pro and, we think, made the green. Carson wisely picked his ball from the ice plant and took a penalty stroke.
More than a one-stroke penalty on the Gilroy Unified School District for trying to keep a lid on the paperwork miscue that led to the tax collector not collecting property tax for the Measure J bond and putting a $5.3 million September bond payment in serious jeopardy. “When you screw up, own up.” That’s so, so true – especially for any public agency. It goes directly to building credibility with the community. To add insult to the residents and taxpayers of Gilroy, who will be paying a supplemental tax bill, the School Board discussed the issue behind closed doors concocting an absolutely cockamamie legal justification out of running-scared air. From a leadership standpoint, it’s very disappointing. Those like Gilroy Planning Commissioner Art Barron who question the need for a local Sunshine Law should take serious note.
So noted, but not at all appreciated is the news that there will be a 1,136-foot retaining wall along the northeastern intersection of the scenic Hecker Pass Highway, a byproduct of the widening and bridge reconstruction. Sure hoped someone at City Hall weighed in on the design standards. Retaining walls don’t need to be the ugliest monstrosities on God’s green earth. The one in Palo Alto, at the intersection of The Alameda De Las Pulgas and Sand Hill Road, is an example of how to do it right.
Right around the corner from the cut – just one stroke away. That’s where Gavilan College graduate and professional golfer John Ellis found himself at the eventually-washed-out AT&T Pro-Am. Gut feeling: John will get there and we’ll be watching him on Sunday in the not-too-distant future when he’s in the hunt.
Hunting down a ticket for the Saturday, March 7 fight at HP Pavilion featuring our own homegrown champion, Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero, should be on your agenda if it’s not. Can’t you just hear the ring announcer? And in this corner … wearing the Casper-white trunks … from the Garlic Capital of the Universe … with a record of 23-1-1 and 15 knockouts … Gilroy native and former two-time IBF featherweight champ Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero … now the roar that follows that announcement should make Gilroy proud. Besides, with all the lousy news, we need some good entertainment.
And it should be an entertaining weekend … our lovely middle daughter, Miss Cayla, otherwise known to Dad as “Cakes” is turning 21. Yikes, I can see her sweet, determined face in my mind’s eye like it was yesterday when we practiced, practiced and practiced some more winding up and pitching the softball. Nobody wanted the task, so Cayla, ever game, took the mound. That’s my girl. She’s a “gamer.”
Mark Derry is the editor of the Dispatch. Reach him at ed****@****ic.com
