Guest View

John McKay’s avocation for an “not perfect” Measure S is exactly the reason it should be rejected. It is this imperfection wrapped around vague and ambiguous language that leaves the measure open to interpretation. If passed, the measure at best will likely end up in the courts, resulting is costly and unnecessary litigation. At worst, it could lead to the destruction of our precious open spaces.For example, John cites in his article that 300 agricultural units can be set aside in Morgan Hill’s “developable areas” for preservation. But John, how do you define “developable?” As a Planning Commissioner, you know that when we define lands and boundaries we use terms such as the UGB (Urban Growth Boundary), City Limits or Sphere of influence, etc. These are legal terms. They are well known and there are maps with lines that define them. But none of these terms are used in the measure. Instead, we find the term, “developable lands.” All lands are developable and that includes county farm and agricultural lands. And therein lies the problem.The city has already spent over a decade in an effort to develop county farm and agricultural lands at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars, only to be rejected by the state regulatory agency—not once, but twice. There is good reason to distrust the ambiguity of the measure as a continued pursuit to pave over our open spaces.John’s article fails to mention that those 300 agricultural units are specifically identified for housing, encouraging urban sprawl and untold costs to our community. And again, I have to ask, what is a unit?Measure S doesn’t solve problems, it creates them. It is labeled to “conserve water and preserve open space,” but it does none of that. Measure S is a “smoke and mirrors” effort to undermine our slow growth policies and encourage excessive development.If you discount that, just look at where our pro-growth incumbents are getting their campaign funding: real estate companies, landowners and developers. Councilmember Marilyn Librers, the strongest advocate for sprawl, received $3,000 alone from a Cupertino developer with land interests and projects in Morgan Hill.John, you want facts, and so do I. But the wording in Measure S lacks factual language and likely by intent. It deserves a NO vote until it can be rewritten clearly and factually. Your comment that it is not perfect is correct and we agree but no measure such as this should have ever have been brought before the community unless it is openly clear as to its intent and impacts.Mark Grzan is a former Morgan Hill City Councilman and Mayor Pro Tempore. 

On any given Wednesday night, if you're lucky enough to get an invite, you can spend some time barbecuing and hanging out with the Elrods, a local racing family.Their shop in San Martin—the walls lined with trophies going back four decades—is a proud homage to the off-road racing lifestyle. Everything you might need to build a machine capable of enduring the roughest terrain on the planet is found here. Engines, motorcycles, and hunting trophies encompass the walls. Add all that to a cooler with a never ending supply of Coors Light, and it is paradise.I’ve know the family for about two decades. I was introduced to them through my childhood friend Curtis Giacolone. His cousin J.C. Elrod was the heir apparent to the racing legacy that his father Jeff and his uncle Wes created. For J.C. on the weekend of Sept. 30, this would be his first time in a race car after almost six years. He broke his back in a motorcycle accident, an injury that left him incapable of pursuing his passion.I was excited to go back to a racetrack, even more than usual since this would mark my friend’s return to racing. I was there one night when J.C. announced and displayed the car that he would be building. While a great deal of input came from Jeff and Wes, the mastermind behind the build would come from another friend, Donnie Powers. The build started about five months before the first scheduled race. I got to witness some of the transformation from rust bucket to race car, and I was ready to put aside a weekend to come see them in action.In the pits, no one was expecting anything too dramatic. All they hoped for was to just finish. So when J.C. won his second heat, all of us were ecstatic. For everyone who had put in a ton of sleepless nights, it was vindication. The night ended with what some could consider a disappointing finish: 11th place. But everyone was happy with how the car performed.The next night I was hoping for more good racing. The American Stock class provides for a lot of rubbing and crashing. J.C. had a few extra dents after the qualifying heat, which led to a little bit of an altercation in the pits. Emotions can run high, so scuffles between drivers aren’t uncommon.In the main event there was a lot of good things that came out from the race. Unfortunately it ended with J.C. spinning out just before the final lap. Throughout the weekend everyone was coming over to take a look at the car, admiring the rugged and traditional aspect it brought to the track. In short, while not finishing, they let everyone know they were just beginning..Being a family affair, Jeff—who all of us call “Boss Man”—was prouder than I’ve ever seen him. Self-admittedly he was a nervous wreck throughout the race, so to see his son come out unscathed after the nightmare six years earlier was an awesome sight to behold. J.C. himself was proud of everyone coming together to get that car on the track.While Elrod Racing didn’t take the checkered flag that weekend, it was just the beginning. The Team motto, “Build, Race, Win,” is prevalent. Where a lot of people starting off in racing use a cookie cutter style of building a racecar, these guys started from the bottom.So if you're ever free on a weekend and want to see a part of an old school American tradition, come out to the Santa Cruz County fairgrounds and cheer on the number 84x Elrod Racing car, the local boys.Gilroy resident and Live Oak High alumnus Connor Quinn is Region IX State Membership Coordinator for Team Rubicon, a disaster relief organization that employs military veterans. He is also a VA work study at the Gavilan College Veterans Resource Center.

This November, Santa Clara County voters will vote on Measure A, a housing bond that will create new affordable housing for our most vulnerable community members and programs for our working people.That description sounds very impersonal, perhaps even bureaucratic. But it’s not. It’s very personal to me because I am a parent, because I am a local employer, because I am intimately aware of the struggles of the most vulnerable families and individuals in our community.Last year, one of my daughters moved to Idaho solely because of the high cost of housing in the Bay Area. She and her fiancé were tired of shared renting and knew they would never be able to buy a home in California. I miss her.Community Solutions employs more than 200 bright, talented and committed staff. While we offer competitive pay and benefits, the vast majority of them can’t buy a home here and many cannot afford escalating rents. They are commuting from farther and farther away. Or they are taking their talent and moving away, like my daughter. Local businesses and nonprofits are having a harder time filling positions due to the high cost of living.Community Solutions serves more than 4,000 residents across Santa Clara County. Every day I see our clients—our neighbors—struggling to survive because of our housing crisis: mothers leaving our domestic violence shelter unable to find affordable housing; students whose families live in their cars—even with a parent employed full-time; homeless men and women living with mental illness, for whom we don’t have the housing for them to continue on to better health and self-sufficiency.For all of these reasons…for all of these people, we must do better.Measure A will create new affordable housing for our vulnerable communities—for homeless families with children, veterans and seniors.Measure A also identifies housing solutions for working families. The measure funds affordable housing near workplace centers and transit. And it creates a First-time Homebuyer Program to support working people and families wanting to build their lives here, like teachers and nurses who cannot afford to live where they work.Measure A provides a holistic approach to addressing our housing challenges. It focuses on helping those most in need, but ensures that we don’t leave anyone behind.This year’s ballot may be the longest one ever. This election cycle has been one of the most exhausting ever. But we have a historic opportunity here in Santa Clara County—an opportunity we cannot squander.  I urge you to join me in voting YES on Measure A for affordable housing.Erin O’Brien is the President and CEO of Community Solutions. She wrote this column for the Morgan Hill Times.

High Speed Rail is moving ahead much more quickly than anyone anticipated. The decision on the preferred option through or around Morgan Hillis going to be made this fall by the HSR Authority, within the next month and a half.The California HSRA has currently identified four different options.Option 1: The “at grade” option adjacent to the Union Pacific line Monterey Road corridor.It is important to understand that the “at grade” proposal is not what you imagine based on the name.The tracks through Morgan Hill would be located on a berm with a retaining wall on both sides, up to 14 feet tall.That would place a 14 foot wall that divides the community. In areas where there is a concern about additional noise (i.e., adjacent to residential structures or other locations) there could be an additional 12 foot high sound wall.In addition, the wall may be located at up to 102 feet from the existing Union Pacific tracks, eliminating hundreds of homes and businesses on the east side of the UP tracks.  If you can imagine a three-story building with no windows, activity, ornamentation, or life extending all the way through the community, from north of Cochrane to south of Tennant Avenue, you can visualize how the potential divide will impact the community.Option 2: The aerial approach adjacent to the Union Pacific line Monterey Road corridor.The aerial approach is a monorail-like structure with two tracks up to 50 feet wide. This would be substantially higher than Option 1, at a minimum of 30 feet and up to 60 feet above the area to the east of the tracks through the city. There may also be a 102-foot setback from the UP lines.This option would impact hundreds of new residential units, existing housing and businesses, and create a huge visual and sound division.  Option 3: Along the east side of 101.The focus of option 3 is to shift the entire HSR to the east side of 101. The impact on the homes and businesses on that side is clear, especially considering the HSRA would need to cross the freeway twice, at minimum.Option 4: Along the west side of 101.The most recent option, and the one that seems to make the most sense, calls for an aerial approach that would come down Monterey Highway and then, to the north of Sobrato High School, angle off toward 101. HSR would then parallel 101 through Morgan Hill and, after passing Tennant Avenue, would return to connect again with the UP alignment and continue south to Gilroy. This option disrupts the least number of businesses and residents and co-locates noisy activities, freeway and train.We need to tell the HSRA our preferred option now! If we don’t weigh in, we will be completely disregarded by the HSRA.  According to the HSRA timeline, by fall of 2016 (yes that's this year), their intent is to have selected two options to take through the environmental review process.It is important as a community that we immediately come together in a way that clearly identifies our preference. Option 4 may not be perfect, but it avoids channeling the HSR through the main part of town, and clusters like functions together.Use the High Speed Rail Comments form on the city website morganhill.ca.gov/forms.aspx?FID=212 to tell the HSRA your preference for the HSR route through Morgan Hill.Lesley Miles is co-owner of Weston Miles Architects in downtown Morgan Hill.

The commercial sexual exploitation of children is not new. Society has struggled with its existence and its damaging impacts throughout history. In 2000, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) became a cornerstone of federal anti-trafficking legislation to prosecute traffickers, prevent trafficking crimes and protect victims. TVPA recognizes there is no such thing as a “child prostitute,” and children cannot consent to sexual activity, much less the illegal act of prostitution/commercial sex.

As the world’s fastest growing criminal enterprise, human trafficking is not something we can ignore. We hear news reports and wonder, how can this be happening in our region? What can ordinary citizens do about it? The following account, which details the victimization of a woman in Santa Clara County, sheds light on the problem. Names have been changed to protect privacy.Aesha is a 28-year-old woman from South Asia with a Master’s degree in Engineering. She left her home to live in Santa Clara County with her new husband, Robert. Before marrying Aesha and bringing her to the U.S., Robert promised her a wonderful home and opportunities to pursue a career. Shortly after arriving, Aesha discovered Robert had a fiancée and his real purpose in bringing Aesha was to have a cook and maid to serve his family, and a nanny to care for his younger brother.From day one, Robert and his live-in parents emotionally and physically abused Aesha. Her workday began at 6 a.m. and rarely ended before midnight. Robert raped Aesha regularly. His parents sometimes beat her. They kept her under constant surveillance. She had no car or money of her own. She became desperate to return to her home country but was not free to leave the house. She had no one she could turn to.Federal law defines human trafficking as the act of recruiting, harboring, transporting, obtaining or providing of a person by means of force, fraud or coercion, for the purpose of sex or labor exploitation.Act: Robert courted and married Aesha under false pretenses, transported her to the U.S., and harbored her in his house, denying her the means to leave or to communicate with her family.Means: Robert resorted to put-downs, threats and physical abuse to force Aesha to comply with his demands. He confiscated her passport and controlled her through isolation, constant surveillance and control of household finances.Purpose: Robert intentionally defrauded Aesha, then exploited her for labor, forcing her to act as a domestic servant and caregiver for his family, while denying her basic freedoms and rights.Even a well-educated person can fall prey to a situation where he or she is deceived, abused and exploited.In reality, the same factors that increased Aesha’s risk of being trafficked prevented her from leaving the situation. Nearly every aspect of Aesha’s situation was a red flag indicating that she was a victim of human trafficking. Robert ensured that Aesha was dependent on him for survival. Her lack of familiarity with U.S.  systems, resources and protections further isolated her. Aesha was unable to attain financial independence, because Robert kept her from obtaining employment and didn’t pay her.  Fortunately, a neighbor noticed bruises on Aesha’s arms when she was working in the yard and connected her with Community Solutions, a South County nonprofit with offices in Morgan Hill and Gilroy. The local organization provided Aesha with confidential services and a way out of exploitation.Learn more. Attend an anti-trafficking workshop at the Morgan Hill Library, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Sept. 27. To report a potential case of human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline 888-373-7888 or text BeFree (233733).Perla Flores is Director of Solutions To Violence at Community Solutions. Sharan Dhanoa is Coordinator for the South Bay Coalition to End Human Trafficking. This guest view is part two in a three-part series on human trafficking in Santa Clara County. To read part one, visit morganhilltimes.com.

Amber left home at age 15 to escape physical abuse. After weeks in shelters and on the streets, she met John. He invited her to stay at his house and offered her food and clothing. But John’s “generosity” had a hidden cost as he demanded that she perform sex acts with him, and then with his friends.Seventeen-year-old Omar left El Salvador to work in his cousin Mateo’s restaurant in Northern California. Mateo promised good pay and the opportunity to attend school. Instead, Omar found himself working 10 to 14 hour days at less than minimum wage with no overtime pay. Mateo took half his wages, supposedly to pay down Omar’s “travel and living expenses.” Mateo also took his passport “for safekeeping” and warned Omar if he tried to leave, harm would come to his family in El Salvador.Aesha left India to join her new husband Bobby in America. Before their marriage, Bobby promised she could pursue college and career goals. Once in California, Aesha was forced to work as the family’s cook, housekeeper, nanny, and caregiver for Bobby’s parents. She knew no one else and was not free to come and go. Bobby and his parents beat her if she complained.Amber, Omar and Aesha are all victims of human trafficking. Their stories occurred right here in Santa Clara County. (Pseudonyms are used to protect identities.)There’s a misperception that human trafficking is just another name for prostitution, and that it only exists in distant countries. In reality, human trafficking is modern-day slavery. Traffickers profit by exploiting others through commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor. They use violence, deception and coercion to control their victims, who are not free to leave the situation.Human trafficking is the world’s second largest and fastest-growing criminal industry with nearly 21 million people being denied their freedoms. The National Human Trafficking Resource Center collects data on reports of trafficking across the U.S. and operates the National Human Trafficking Hotline. In 2015, California led the nation with over 3,600 calls to the Hotline.Most cases reported in California involve sex trafficking, particularly the trafficking of minors in commercial sexual exploitation. Industries at high risk for labor trafficking include domestic work, health and beauty services, agriculture, janitorial services, hotels and construction. It can happen when employers unknowingly use subcontractors who are exploiting workers by confiscating their IDs, failing to pay them wages or denying them the freedom to leave.Federal and state lawmakers have enacted theTrafficking Victims Protection Act and the California Trafficking Victims Protection Act to define and criminalize human trafficking—a critical step to enable legal advocates, social services and law enforcement to protect victims and prosecute traffickers.Santa Clara County is not immune to human trafficking. To prevent it from taking root and growing in our neighborhoods, the first step is awareness. Community members are invited to a Human Trafficking information session co-hosted by Community Solutions and South Bay Coalition to End Human Trafficking, 7 to 8:45 p.m. Sept. 27 at the Morgan Hill Library, 660 West Main Ave.Perla Flores is Director of Solutions To Violence at Community Solutions. Sharan Dhanoa is Coordinator for the South Bay Coalition to End Human Trafficking.

Summer break just ended for youth across California. Some children savored the opportunity to participate in sports leagues, attend camps with friends or travel to new places. But for many other children, staying physically fit and academically motivated this summer was a real challenge.During the months of summer vacation, research indicates that, on average, children fall one month behind where they left off academically in the spring. This loss in learning during the summer impacts disadvantaged children the most, accounting for as much as two-thirds of the total gap in their academic achievement compared with their more advantaged peers.While falling behind academically during the summer, children also put on additional weight—equal to half the total weight gain acquired during the entire year.Currently, more than 70 percent of Americans age 17 to 24 cannot serve in the military, primarily because they are too poorly educated, are overweight or have a criminal record. As a retired U.S. Air Force Brigadier General and a member of the nonprofit organization Mission: Readiness, I consider this a matter of national security.The good news is high-quality summer learning programs in our neighborhoods successfully blend academic instruction and other enrichment opportunities for youth. Programs like Building Futures Now (BFN) offer a five-week session to help narrow the achievement gap and prepare students for school in the fall. BFN focuses on students’ potential and offers intensive methods that improve students’ math, reading and writing skills, while balancing activities that are enriching and fun.Healthy meals and proper hydration are also key components to the program, and students are provided a selection of fresh fruits and nutritious meals to pick from daily.There are key challenges to programs like BFN. Many lack physical space required for students to engage in the 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity that’s recommended on a daily basis. Further, the costs of running quality programs continue to outpace funding.The state’s After School Education and Safety (ASES) Program supports quality after-school and summer learning across the state, serving hundreds of thousands of students each year. Hundreds of students remain on their waiting lists. Yet, since 2007 the California consumer performance index (CPI) has increased by 19 percent and the state minimum wage has increased 33 percent, while the ASES daily funding has remained at $7.50 per student per day.Due to funding issues, a majority of programs have cut staff hours and reduced services. Each of us can do our part by urging community leaders and public officials to advocate for additional resources for quality summer learning programs.Many school districts are already planning for next year’s programming and we must ensure that the summer of 2017 is not a season of brain drain and weight gain. Providing youth with effective ways to improve their academic skills and stay physically active during summer is just common sense, and will ensure they lead healthier, more productive lives.Jeffrey Lawson is a retired Brigadier General, U.S. Air Force and a Morgan Hill resident.

The Times noted in the Sept. 30, 2015 article on PG&E’s proposal to build a new substation in South County, "The last open house took place Sept. 28 at the Morgan Hill Community Center. Two previous sessions took place in Gilroy and San Martin.The trio of meetings was sparsely attended, but the public can continue to provide feedback to PG&E via email, phone or the internet.”I believe the sparse attendance was by design on PG&E’s part and not apathy on the part of those who will be negatively impacted. I was completely unaware of this project as were most of my neighbors when we just recently learned of the plan and the eight possible locations for the substation. We learned that mailers had been sent out, but were intermingled with other ads and junk mail, and easily dismissed rather than in an envelope PG&E would normally send customers regarding matters of importance.Many of us are now scrambling to understand how these eight sites were determined. It obviously wasn’t using valuable public feedback.Three of the sites are particularly distressing to the residents along the scenic Watsonville Road Wine Trail corridor. The “Watsonville C” site location is particularly troubling for my family in that it will be built directly across the street from our house! My neighbors are understandably equally troubled.This is such a scenic area that it is hard to fathom how PG&E would even consider a 6-acre substation and its devastating impact. The impacts are devastating in potential health effects for those living in the vicinity, environmental considering the impact to Little Arthur and Uvas creeks, and loss of property value.I am also wondering where our county stands on this very important matter. I have yet to hear back from our District 1 County Supervisor Mike Wasserman to whom I have sent several emails. The county should have been giving PG&E guidance, direction and input from the start because there are obviously so many zoning, planning and permit issues.Redwood Retreat Road has by county ordinance been designated as a scenic road and as such the county has placed limits on building in order to preserve the beauty of the area. So again, my question is, why wouldn’t the county be involved and also keeping us informed? Mike Wasserman has never mentioned the South County Power Connect Project once in his newsletters—leaving me to wonder, why?John Tepoorten and his family have lived on Redwood Retreat Road for 19 years. PG&E is in the outreach phase of its South County Power Connect project, which will add a new substation and new transmission lines to South County to enhance the electrical grid. To learn more about the project and the eight substation site options, visit pge.com.

What an incredible quarter century I have spent working for these community newspapers.  Twenty five years spent learning, teaching and contributing to producing your local newspaper.  I had several mentors over the years, who each had many more years here than I have racked up.  They taught me so much about each department, how it works and how they all fit together. Thank you to each and every one of you (you know who you are) for investing in me and making me better.  Much of my work was behind the scenes, planning and organizing, making sure everything came together on deadline.  I loved every minute of it!