Where there’s Gilroy smoke, there’s garlic and fire
Union for the firefighters and the police officers took it on the chin in San Jose and San Diego Tuesday. Voters in both major urban centers, tired of lavish pensions enjoyed at the expense of taxpayers and other city services, voted overwhelmingly to enact significant pension reforms. Despite San Jose clearly being a Democratic stronghold, more than 70 percent of voters approved Measure B which requires employees to pay more into the current retirement plan or change to a more reasonable plan. It also limits benefits for new hires. At last a breath of common sense. The looming unfunded liabilities will eventually catch up to all California cities and, as more cash is needed to fund those luxurious pensions, the less money will be available for cities to provide services. Meanwhile, back in the real world, a city summer recreation Little Skill Builders soccer “camp” offering that runs for five days from 9:30 to 11 a.m. for 4 to 6 year olds will cost you a whopping $90. Not surprisingly, only hours after the crushing defeat in San Jose, the “new elite” – the public safety union employees – filed lawsuits to stop the reforms.
TERAJI: Pastors trade places for a day
On Jan. 23, it made me glad to live in Gilroy. An exchange took
‘Odysseo’–A panorama of serendipitous beauty and imagination
Normand Latourelle, director of “Odysseo”, was at the rendezvous greeting audience members as they entered the White Big Top opening night in San Francisco. He is a non-assuming fellow with a sweet smile and gentle continence that gives a feeling of blissful pride and control over his amazing creation. I remembered him from “Cavalia” a few years back. I didn’t think he remembered me – but he hugged me like a long lost friend and led me to my seat like we had never parted.
Morgan Hill Freedom 5K Run/Walk
The Morgan Hill Freedom 5K Run/Walk and 1-Mile Kid's Run is coming up on Thursday the Fourth of July. At 3.1 miles, the 5K, can be a challenging distance for many people, but veteran long-distance runners sometimes dismiss the 5K--it's even shorter than their normal warm-up. But the 5K is a challenging distance in its own right. It requires that the runner push him or herself faster than any other long distance race, yet it's very easy to over commit in that first mile to a mile and a half and have little or nothing left at the end of the race.
Vineyards Increasingly Adopt Sustainable Ag Practices
Our world is a precious place, and sporadically over the past
GOLF: Tee times announced for first round of Frys.com Open
The opening round of the PGA Tour's Frys.com Open is Thursday from CordeValle Golf Club in San Martin. Tee times have been announced for the first two days of the tournament and can be viewed here, along with more need-to-know information.
Red Phone: More photo contests needed
"Why doesn't the Dispatch run more photo contests in the paper or online? I'm sure there are many Gilroyans that would love to submit photos of their pets, nature pics, babies, kids, etc. Is this something the Dispatch can give some thought to? I think it would be fun for a lot of people. Thanks."
‘Evita’: A look at history
In London in 1976, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice released an album of a show that would be called “Evita.” By early 1977, the album took the world by storm and when “Evita” premiered in London in June 1978, everyone was humming "Don't Cry For Me Argentina." In September 1979, “Evita” opened on Broadway to a sold-out run that went on for four years.
















