Editorials

When the lights go out, the impacts are far reaching from our city’s frozen commerce to our sweltering residents. Restaurants shut down, the elderly in our community are forced to deal with more difficult circumstances on hot days and it’s a general pain in the rear end for everyone.

Cheers for the great addition to one of our community’s best events of the year. Food trucks are coming to the Freedom Fest. At Community Park when the July 4 fireworks show is, there will be “an amazing assortment” of food trucks, said Charles Weston, president of Independence Day Celebrations. So, hold on to that appetite, set up some lawn chairs and get ready to pick out your favorites from the bank of 10 food trucks which will feature everything from tri-tip sandwiches to Korean BBQ to specialty hot dogs. Nice going Freedom Fest folks!

Cheers to organizers, volunteers and the more than 80,000 who attended the 33rd version of the annual Mushroom Mardi Gras.

Let’s see if this makes sense. The city’s recommended budget for the upcoming fiscal year adds nearly $2 million in services and two full-time positions, and the city has given raises to nearly all employees the past several years. Now they will be looking to reduce employee costs as negotiations with all three labor unions will begin soon.

If Proposition 29 is approved by California’s voters, the tax on cigarettes in the state will increase by $1 to $1.87 per pack. The additional tax revenue will be used to fund cancer research, smoking reduction programs and tobacco law enforcement. And that’s a good thing, whether the research is done in California or anywhere else.

Cheers to 1989 Live Oak High School grad Jill Sudduth Smith, who last Saturday was enshrined in the International Swimming Hall of Fame in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. She won a gold medal in synchronized swimming team event at the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta, Ga.

Morgan Hill is currently drawing up a contract with Calfire to provide fire protection services to the city and it’s something other cities in the county should seriously consider.

As law enforcement investigators continue their search for missing teen Sierra LaMar, day after day, week after week, hundreds of volunteers continue to show up to help in the efforts coordinated by the KlaasKids Foundation. They search, they organize fundraisers and they continue to get the word out. The outpouring of support is heartening, and unprecedented.

The City Council made a procedural decision recently that – while legal and within its right – was a bit disturbing in its lack of transparency, something the council prides itself upon.

The recent news that 30 employees at City Hall are getting a raise is troubling on several fronts.