This past year has been a flurry of events, milestones, changes, victories and losses that shaped Gilroy and South Santa Clara County. And as the region continues to face the challenges and embrace the hopes related to ongoing growth, 2026 promises to keep local communities moving and engaged.
The highlight of the year for many Gilroyans was the return of the Gilroy Garlic Festival after a six-year hiatus.
This year’s festival was a much smaller, intimate affair at Gilroy Gardens. Attendance was capped at 3,000 per day of the event, which took place July 25-27. The event sold out in advance for all three days.
“I’m glad that we’re back, getting Gilroy, getting this community back to what it does best,” Mayor Greg Bozzo said at the festival.
Bozzo added that while garlic remains central to the festival’s identity, the event’s true value lies in fostering relationships and supporting local nonprofits through fundraising efforts. To date, the Garlic Festival Association has donated more than $12 million to local charities since its inception in 1979.
The festival had been on hiatus since 2019, when a teenage gunman killed three people and injured 17 others at previous event venue Christmas Hill Park.
Community mourns traffic deaths
A pregnant 29-year-old Gilroy woman, Rachel Marie Gonzalez Gallegos, died in a three-vehicle crash on New Year’s Day 2025 near Leavesley Road east of New Avenue. She was in the car with her husband and young son when the collision occurred. CHP investigated the incident.
Three seniors from Hollister High School were killed in a vehicle crash in Gilroy in mid-January, creating devastating loss for their families and the San Benito community. The students were identified as Victor Lujan, 17; Anzhel Villegas-Lemus, 17; and Brandon Alarcon, 18.
District elections on tap
The City of Gilroy’s first district elections for city council will take place in November.
The council in February 2025 agreed to transition to district elections following a lawsuit under the California Voting Rights Act. City officials subsequently hired a demographer and held a series of public hearings to draw and adopt the new districts.
Under a district-based election system, the city is divided into separate districts, each with one council member who lives in that district and is elected only by voters who live in that district.
Under the at-large system under which Gilroy has always operated, every voter throughout Gilroy has the opportunity to vote for all city council seats that are on the ballot.
The council agreed to keep the mayor’s position elected at large, an option that legal experts said would comply with the CVRA.
A demand letter sent to the council in December 2024 said the at-large council electoral system results in “racially polarized voting.”
The first city council elections under the new district system will be on the Nov. 3 ballot, with council members from new districts 4, 5 and 6 up for election. Those seats are currently occupied by Council members Dion Bracco, Tom Cline and Carol Marques.
Top city staff turnovers
The first few weeks of 2026 could see both a new long-term police chief and city administrator for the City of Gilroy.
Former Police Chief Pedro Espinoza, a law enforcement veteran who began his career at the local department in 2003, announced his retirement in May. Shortly after that, the city council appointed former Acting Santa Clara County Sheriff Ken Binder to the position of interim chief of police.
Then in November, Binder accepted an appointment to become San Mateo County Sheriff.
Since then, the police department’s three captains—Luke Powell, Brian Dutton and Lamonte Toney—have been rotating as Acting Chief of Police.
The city continues to search for a long-term chief of the police department. City officials expect to be able to select a new chief at the beginning of this year.
Another notable staff change at City Hall is that of city administrator. Former City Administrator Jimmy Forbis, who served in that position for about five years, announced his retirement in July.
The city council appointed Brad Kilger as Interim City Administrator, and has been interviewing candidates to take the position long-term as 2025 has come to a close.
City officials hope to select a new city administrator in early 2026.
Film festival future
The Poppy Jasper International Film Festival continues to grow, as the 2025 event ran April 9-16 with screenings in Hollister, San Juan Bautista and throughout the South Valley.
For the 2026 festival, organizers are working on a valley-wide scavenger hunt centered around the region’s public transportation system. The fun, interactive project is funded by a grant from the Valley Transportation Authority.
Homeless evicted
About 60 homeless people in November were evicted from the last piece of public property where they were allowed to set up camp. Encampments along creek and levee facilities owned by Valley Water were cleaned up and the residents told to leave.
Valley Water officials had become increasingly concerned about employees’ safety when visiting the sites, as well as the cleanliness of the properties along Llagas Creek. Valley Water had posted a notice to vacate the properties on Sept. 30.
Local homeless advocate Jan Bernstein Chargin said if Gilroy residents start to see more tents and carts of belongings scattered around town, they are longtime local unhoused individuals who have nowhere else to go.
Spice of Life
In March, the Gilroy Chamber of Commerce announced its annual Spice of Life award winners, recognizing those who have made positive impacts in the community over the past year. The 2025 winners were Man of the Year Jayson Stebbins; Woman of the Year Fran Beaudet; Large Business Heritage Bank; Small Business RAC Services; Young Professional Ruben Dario Villa; Educator of the Year Francisca Garcia; Susan Valenta Youth Leadership Award winner Manreet Kaur; Nonprofit of the Year Gilroy Downtown Business Association; and Volunteer of the Year Janet Krulee.
The awardees were celebrated at a gala and dinner at Gilroy Elks Lodge.
The chamber is currently in the process of fielding nominations and selecting honorees for the 2026 Spice of Life.
