Community

Starting Jan. 1, 2016, Santa Clara County will become the first county in California to raise the age to purchase tobacco and electronic smoking products from 18 to 21.The ordinance, approved by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in June, applies to 17 retailers, markets and convenience stores in unincorporated areas of the county. Five of the affected tobacco retailers are located in South County. Retailers within the city limits of Morgan Hill or any other city in the county are not affected.The purpose of the ordinance is to curtail youth smoking and prevent children from becoming addicted to tobacco at an early age, according to county staff.“Our county continues to be a national leader in protecting the health of our residents, particularly our children and youth, from the harms of tobacco,” said Supervisor Ken Yeager, who initiated the county’s smoking, tobacco and e-cigarette product ordinances.  “The new tobacco purchase age of 21 clearly puts the health of our youth before any special interests.”In July, the Santa Clara County Public Health Department began notifying tobacco retailers of the new requirements that prohibit the sale and distribution of tobacco and electronic smoking products to anyone under age 21, and more recently through in-store education with store owners and/or employees in partnership with the Department of Environmental Health, county staff said.Ordinance requirements of the county ordinance beginning Jan. 1:• Retailers are required to post a notice of minimum age for the purchase of tobacco products and electronic smoking devices at each point of purchase. The notice will state that selling tobacco products and electronic smoking devices to anyone younger than 21 is illegal and subject to penalties;• Positive identification will be required for purchases. No retailer shall sell or transfer a tobacco product or electronic smoking device to another person who appears to be younger than 30 without first examining the customer's identification to confirm that the customer is at least the minimum age required to purchase and possess the tobacco product.“Tobacco use is still the number one cause of preventable death in the United States, killing more than 480,000 people and costing about $170 billion in health care expenses each year,” said Sara Cody, M.D., County Health Officer and Director of the Santa Clara County Public Health Department.“Tobacco and e-cigarette use among teens and young adults remains a critical public health concern.”It is estimated that 90 percent of tobacco users start before the age of 21, according to county staff. Roughly 80 percent of smokers first try tobacco before age 18, and 75 percent of teen smokers continue into their adult years. A recent report by the Institute of Medicine predicts that raising the minimum age for the sale of tobacco products to 21 may, over time, reduce the smoking rate by about 12 percent and smoking-related deaths by 10 percent.Any store that violates the ordinance by selling tobacco or electronic smoking products to customers younger than 21 could be subject to fines and penalties established in 2011, county staff said. A first violation can cost a retailer $100 in fines and result in a suspension of their tobacco permit. The cost of fines and the length of license suspensions increase with each subsequent violation.The following retailers in South County will be subject to the new ordinance:• Coyote Discount Bait & Tackle,  8215 Monterey Rd., Coyote;• Mama's Market, 13305 Sycamore Ave., San Martin;• Old Gilroy Service, 2035 Pacheco Pass Highway, Gilroy;• Rocca's Market, 13335 Monterey Rd., San Martin;• San Martin Gas & Mart, 13235 Monterey Rd., San Martin.In 2010, the board of supervisors adopted three tobacco prevention ordinances to reduce and prevent tobacco use among youth and others, and reduce exposure to secondhand smoke, county staff said. One of the ordinances, the Tobacco Retailer Permit Ordinance, requires all retailers in the unincorporated areas of the County to obtain and maintain an annual permit to sell tobacco products. The ordinance also restricts future retailers from operating within 1,000 feet of a school or 500 feet of an existing retailer.In 2014, the county amended the current tobacco prevention policies to incorporate restrictions related to the use and sale of electronic smoking devices.Most recently in February 2015, the county’s ordinance code provision prohibiting the sale of flavored tobacco products went into effect.

A quartet of local letter carriers with more than 120 years of collective devotion to civil service and four million accident-free miles logged on the job were honored as the newest members of the National Safety Council’s “Million Mile Club.”

A beloved 19-year-old Morgan Hill athlete, who was inflicted with a mysterious illness that landed him in a coma for nearly five months, died Dec. 21, according to his brother.

One of the world’s leading experts on Mayan textiles recently visited The Granary in downtown Morgan Hill to view local architect Lesley Miles’ exhibit of handwoven Guatemalan pieces she collected during her visit to the country more than 35 years ago.Margot Schevill, author of “Maya Textiles of Guatemala” and other books, was impressed with the exhibit in the ground floor gallery space of The Granary, located at 17500 Depot Street.“This is wonderful,” Schevill said of the exhibit. “I did fieldwork in Guatemala with textiles at the same time as Lesley. The textiles have changed (since then) but these are still wonderful.”The exhibit titled “Woven Voices of Guatemala” displays “the remarkable weaving skills of the people from the Todos Santos region of Guatemala and throughout the highlands,” Miles said.The exhibit is a collection of huipiles (backstrap-loomed tops) and other handwoven pieces. Miles’ exhibit also includes vintage pieces from the 1950s, and it represents the traditional garments worn by the Mam, Ixil and Quiche indigenous people.The fibers in many of the garments were specially prepared before weaving, Miles said. Soaking the threads in cornstarch gave the weaver ease in her work and insured the durability of the garment. The different patterns and colors indicate the various regions. Like stories passed down from one generation to the next, the unique weaving skills and patterns of the different villages unified the people and created a textile lineage.The village in Primer Centro, inhabited by the people of Todos Santos, no longer exists due to the civil war, Miles said. However, as long as the integrity of the fibers and the energetic imprint from the weavers of these garments lives on, so will the stories of the people.“This display is in honor and memory of the people and the very fine weavers that once lived there,” Miles said.Schevill visited Morgan Hill from Berkeley. She did not know Miles when the two were in Guatemala at the same time.The exhibit will remain on display until Dec. 31.

A statue of 14-year-old Tara Romero, a Morgan Hill resident who died in a drive-by shooting more than four years ago, will adorn city grounds as a permanent reminder of the impact of violence, urging local youth and other passersby to commit to a peaceful environment.Romero’s father Joseph Romero commissioned the statue titled “Never Forgotten.” It will stand about six feet tall and depict the teen’s likeness, with butterflies floating from her outstretched hand. The City Council voted unanimously Dec. 16 to place the statue, which will be complete by the end of January 2016, at the “Demonstration Garden” at the Peak Avenue civic center campus, between City Hall and council chambers. The garden area is currently under development, and is expected to be completed by February 2016.A plaque attached to the base of the bronze statue will provide an explanation similar to the following, which appeared in a Dec. 16 city staff report presented to the City Council: “On November 4, 2011, there was an attack on 5 school kids ... EVERYONE'S CHILD, Tara Alish Romero died that night. This statue of her is a reminder to our community to live in Peace and Harmony longed for in the community of Morgan Hill, California.”Tara Romero was a freshman at Sobrato High School at the time of the shooting, which took place near the intersection of Cosmo and Del Monte avenues. Three other teens—Romero’s friends and classmates—were injured by the gunfire.Joseph Romero commissioned the $33,000 statue, financed largely out of his own pocket, after the city’s Library, Culture and Arts approved the concept in 2012. The statue, created by artist David Spellerberg, is almost complete.Romero preferred the LCAC’s alternate location for the statue, outside the Community and Cultural Center. While the council went with city staff’s preferred location at the civic center campus, Romero said he’s happy the city has embraced the public art piece.“I don’t see a problem with it as long as the statue is prominently displayed,” Romero said after the Dec. 16 council meeting. “I’m glad the city wants something permanently displayed to give them and the community hope that we live in a peaceful (environment), and not the violence that occurred that night.”Romero added that he is working on acquiring donations of materials for the statue’s base, as well as lighting that will illuminate the artwork at nighttime.Councilmembers briefly discussed the location alternatives before approving the site Dec. 16, after Romero voiced his preference for the CCC during public comments. They said both the CCC or Demo Garden would be ideal, but they ultimately trusted in the LCAC’s recommendation.“For me, it’s almost a flip of a coin,” said Mayor Pro Temp Richard Constantine. “But I agree with (LCAC), for the fact that the demo garden is going to be a better place for quiet reflection.”Five suspects remain in custody for the Nov. 4, 2011 shooting that left Tara Romero dead. The alleged gang members are charged with murder and attempted murder, and are accused of carrying out the shooting for the benefit of a criminal street gang, according to authorities.The next hearing for the five suspects is Dec. 29 at the Santa Clara County Hall of Justice in San Jose, said Joseph Romero, who has been frustrated with the slow pace of justice since his daughter’s death more than four years ago.

The Library, Culture and Arts Commission and local residents Dec. 18 unveiled “Dear Family,” the newest installment of public art decorating downtown Morgan Hill.Created by Gilroy artist Evelyn Davis, the piece consists of three bronze sculptures resembling a “family” of deer grazing in the median of Monterey Road just south of Third Street.Davis said the title of the piece is a reference not only to the black-tailed deer that roam the hills—and sometimes the downtown streets—but also to the human families of Morgan Hill.“I feel Morgan Hill is a great place to raise a family, for people because of the home-town atmosphere, the surrounding countryside, the activities and the recreational facilities; and for deer because there is such a richness of landscape surrounding our city with forage and waterways and protected areas,” Davis said.She added the art piece is a “classic bronze installation,” made in the “lost wax” process that has been in use for thousands of years. “It will only increase in value as art, but it is worthless to anyone who might want to steal it because it cannot be reycled or sold,” Davis said.Davis won a “mini-grant” from the city of Morgan Hill to create the piece. The city grant program back in January offered up to $91,000 for a total of 12 public art pieces to decorate downtown Morgan Hill as the city enacts its “placemaking investment strategy.” That strategy, which includes about half a dozen construction projects under way downtown, seeks to revitalize the neighborhood with upgraded infrastructure and new development in order to attract more visitors and improve traffic safety, according to city staff.Most of the 12 art projects created with the assistance of the city grants were temporary and intended to be displayed during construction of various properties and streets.Four of the art pieces, including “Dear Family,” will remain in their current locations as permanent art. These permanent pieces, originally proposed by the artists, highlight Morgan Hill’s natural features and surroundings, according to city staff.Other downtown art pieces created by city funding include:—a steel art display by Helen Lessick in the Community Garden on Butterfield Boulevard;—a mosaic sculpture of grapes by Peter Hazel on the southeast corner of Third Street and Monterey Road;—a wine country themed mosaic, also by Hazel, outside the Community and Cultural Center.The art pieces and construction projects are funded primarily by Redevelopment Agency bond proceeds left over from 2008 and 2009.

Hundreds of locals and visitors lined up outside CineLux Tennant Station movie theaters hours before the first Dec. 17 screenings of the latest installment of the storied and wildly popular “Star Wars” franchise.Some spectators, who have been anticipating the opening of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” for months, were eager to show off their fandom by dressing up as the film’s fictional rebel leaders, dark side antagonists or wookie friends.The film, directed by J.J. Abrams, continues to show on three screens at CineLux Tennant Station. The earliest weekend screenings take place at 11:55 a.m., and the latest show is at 10:15 p.m. At least one of the theaters is showing “Star Wars” in 3D.For more information or to purchase tickets to a film in advance, visit cineluxtheatres.com, or stop by the theater at 750 Tennant Ave.

With weather experts predicting a strong El Nino winter approaching, the city of Morgan Hill reminds residents that now is the time to ensure they and their property are prepared for strong rain storms ahead.

Celebrate the upcoming 50th NFL Super Bowl with a “Morgan Hill Loves SB50” party at Outdoor Sports Center, 16500 Condit Road, Saturday, Jan. 9. This date is a postponement of the same event previously scheduled for an earlier date.Organizers previously said it would be held at Sobrato, but switched back to the soccer fields.The fun includes live entertainment from the Hitsville Soul Sisters, games, a photo booth and refreshments. The party goes from 4 to 6:30 p.m.Admission and parking are free.Registration is requested. Register by visiting morganhilloutdoorsportscenter.com/sb50.htm.And in a once-in-a-generation chance to show Morgan Hill’s Super Bowl spirit, residents will be able to participate in the creation of a giant light display on the OSC’s soccer fields. Participants, friends and neighbors will hold their gold-lit cell phone screens to the sky, spelling out “MORGAN HILL LOVES SB50.” An aerial photograph will be taken of the display at just the right moment, according to a press release.Super Bowl 50 will be played Feb. 7, 2016 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. Morgan Hill is represented on the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee, a nonprofit that acts as a liaison between the NFL and communities expected to be impacted by the Super Bowl.More than 150,000 visitors and 1 million people altogether in the Bay Area will participate in some form of Super Bowl-related activities the week leading up to the NFL’s biggest stage.

Child Advocates of Silicon Valley has been awarded a $10,000.00 grant from the eBay Foundation Corporate Advised Fund at Silicon Valley Community Foundation.