Guest View

It has been just over two years since Valley Water broke ground at Anderson Dam with the promise to protect the public and secure Santa Clara County’s water supply. Since then, our agency has made tremendous progress on this vital public safety and water...

As we draw nearer to Thanksgiving, I am reminded of this holiday’s origins and significance. There are some interesting and noteworthy parallels with today’s world, two years after Covid-19 began. While Thanksgiving has only been a national holiday since it was established in 1863 by...

On Sunday, May 15, if you happened to see over 100 people walking on Coyote Creek Trail, wearing navy blue tee shirts that said “Danger Future Flux Capacitors of America,” there is no need to worry. The walk was for a worthy cause to...

Our world is filled with fearful people. There are some things which we need to fear, and many things which are concocted fears, but both kinds cause us great distress. Some real fears have arisen from the Covid-19 pandemic that began for us in...

Farmers’ markets represent a unique bridge between urban and rural communities that provide an opportunity to support the local economy, as well as access to fresh, nutritious foods. Aug. 5-11 is National Farmers’ Market Week. This designation seeks to increase the public’s awareness of the role local farmers’ markets play in creating healthy communities and in building prosperity among farmers and small businesses.Farmers’ markets support California’s small and diversified farms, and return money to our local economies. At a farmers’ market, 100 percent of your food dollar goes to your local farmer, while a farmer only receives 15 cents of every food dollar that consumers spend at traditional food outlets. Studies have shown that all farms, regardless of scale, are significantly more likely to survive if they have local food sales as a part of their marketing portfolio.Local markets also provide low-barrier entry points for new farmers, ranchers and food entrepreneurs, allowing them to start small and test new products.In 2017, 7,377 markets and direct-marketing farmers accepted Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) electronic benefit transfers, resulting in $22 million in SNAP spent at farmers markets. This provides access to fresh, local produce and enables SNAP recipients to purchase the nutritious foods their families need to stay healthy.  A growing number of farmers’ markets also offer incentive programs to low-income seniors and WIC (Women, Infants and Children Program) customers.Unlike many supermarkets, farmers markets put fruits and vegetables front and center and create a shopping environment where nutritious foods are not only affordable, they are celebrated.Visit your local farmers’ market this week and enjoy the bountiful crops that are grown close to you.Sen. Bill Monning represents the 17th State Senate District, which includes all of San Luis Obispo and Santa Cruz counties, and portions of Monterey and Santa Clara counties. The weekly Morgan Hill Farmers Market takes place year-round 9am to 1pm Saturday, at the Caltrain parking lot on Depot Street in the city’s downtown.

They tried to kill us. We won. Let’s eat. Jewish festivals often conjure up something along these lines. Purim, the Jewish festival that takes place on the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Adar—this year March 16-17—is no exception. In 357 BCE, Persia’s King Ahasuerus...

After time with the criminal justice system in 2010, I experienced the job rejection that many like myself deal with upon re-entering the workforce. While I was more than qualified for job after job, as soon as they saw the box checked for a...