San Martin Township Moves Forward
Morgan Hill – San Martin officials’ efforts to gain cityhood avoided delay this month thanks to a car show and thousands of dollars in last-minute donations, according to Sylvia Hamilton, head of the San Martin Neighborhood Alliance.
The annual Happy Days Custom and Classic Car show on Aug. 18 brought in nearly $20,000 in revenues, about $2,000 shy of its original goal. Proceeds from the event and a series of other fundraisers held throughout the year help pay for fiscal and environmental studies, which evaluate whether the proposed town can pay for basic municipal services and whether an independent town of San Martin would affect its physical surroundings.
Hamilton, who mailed out the latest installment of $37,700 in time for a Sept. 1 deadline, said the final $7,000-plus came in from 18 San Martin families. Delays in funding could put the city in jeopardy of missing state deadlines to complete the incorporation process.
“I had no doubt it was going to take place,” Hamilton said about the donations. “There’s a lot of momentum, and there’s a lot of people who want to incorporate, and I knew they would step up to the plate.”
So far, the group has paid nearly $88,000 in required fees to the Santa Clara County Local Agency Formation Commission, the land-use agency overseeing the incorporation process estimated to cost $200,000 in its entirety. The last step in the process is a community-wide vote that proponents hope to hold in November 2008.
El Toro Youth Center Saved
Morgan Hill – Supporters of the El Toro Youth Center have managed to save the program from closure through a fundraising campaign that has raised $88,000, according to Morgan Hill Mayor Steve Tate.
Catholic Charities has agreed to oversee the center’s operations starting this month. The local charity had said it could not take over the responsibility unless the community raised the first year of operating funds of roughly $100,000. Though that goal has not been reached, an Aug. 25 fundraiser brought more than $20,000 into the campaign and prompted Catholic Charities to accept the responsibility.
The center has been handed off from one organization to another over the years, and most recently operated under the auspices of nonprofit Community Solutions. After five years of providing financial and operational oversight, the agency announced earlier this year it could no longer sustain the youth center after early September.
Tate other supporters are still hoping to reach the $100,000 mark, and are encouraging residents to continue supporting the campaign. Donations to help save the El Toro Youth Center can be sent in the form of checks to Catholic Charities, and mailed to El Toro Youth Center, 17620 Crest Ave., Morgan Hill, CA 95037.
Another Sex Offender Nabbed in Town
Morgan Hill – A convicted sex offender who was apparently squatting in an abandoned house just south of downtown Morgan Hill was arrested by U.S. Marshals Thursday morning with Morgan Hill police and state parole agents assisting.
Miguel Herrera, 33, who had not registered with local law enforcement as required, was described by police as a transient.
Herrera was arrested without incident, according to
Morgan Hill police Cmdr. David Swing.
The Megan’s Law Web site has a listing for a Miguel
Hernandez Herrera with the same birthdate listing an address in San Jose.
